Lionel Messi makes debut for France’s PSG after legendary run at Barcelona

 

Ligue 1 goalkeepers don’t always bring their young children onto the pitch after matches to make sure they get a photo with an opposing player, but those players usually aren’t Lionel Messi.

In that light, Predrag Rajkovic of Reims could scarcely be blamed for wanting to make the most of an exceptionally memorable moment: Messi’s debut with Paris Saint-Germain after 17 stellar seasons at Barcelona.

Fittingly, when the Argentine superstar came on in the 66th minute Sunday, he was replacing former Barcelona teammate Neymar. Messi received a raucous ovation, and not just from the PSG supporters at Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims. With “Messi! Messi!” chants ringing throughout the 20,000-seat stadium, thousands there showed their appreciation for the soccer deity suddenly plying his trade in France’s top league.

“The welcome he got was something beautiful to see and hear, on the part of our fans but also the Reims fans,” PSG Coach Mauricio Pochettino said after his quad topped Reims, 2-0. “Messi was very happy about it. His presence generates more enthusiasm, everyone can feel it, and it has an effect on the other players.”

If any PSG fans managed to find a bittersweet aspect of the match, it may have been that both goals were scored by Kylian Mbappe before Messi came on. The French star could soon be leaving PSG, according to widespread reports of a major bid for Mbappe from Real Madrid ahead of the Aug. 31 transfer deadline.

Sometimes, though, what is expected to happen does not, in fact, come to pass. So it was with Messi, who reportedly wanted to stay with Barcelona and had agreed to a five-year contract. As it turned out, what Barcelona described as “economic and structural obstacles” got in the way. After that club announced Messi would not return, he quickly found a new home in a French league that traditionally does not have quite the cachet and drawing power as the top rungs in English, German, Italian and Spanish soccer.

As arguably the greatest player ever in his sport, Messi brings a legendary aura that perhaps, among active players, only Cristiano Ronaldo could equal. While Rajkovic’s son did not appear immediately impressed, one can imagine that he will eventually come to appreciate the post-match pose his father engineered.

During his time with Barcelona — over two decades if you count his several years in the club’s youth program — the 34-year-old Messi won a record six Ballons d’Or as the world’s best soccer player. He also racked up six Golden Shoe awards as the most prolific goal scorer across Europe’s top leagues and led Barcelona to a slew of domestic and international titles.

It may not have been his first choice, but leaving that club for one in another country and league gives Messi a new challenge.

“You all know how my exit was from Barcelona,” he told reporters earlier this month while being introduced with PSG. “It was a very hard moment after so many years, but the moment I arrived here, I felt very happy.”

Ronaldo is also changing teams after departing Juventus for a second go-round with Manchester United. Ronaldo is expected to suit up again for the Premier League powerhouse, for which he starred from 2003 to 2009, in September.