“My dream is to win another Champions League, and I think this is the ideal place to be to do that.”
Lionel Messi has been presented as a Paris Saint-Germain player following his arrival at the club. The Argentine has joined as a free agent following his tumultuous departure from Barcelona. Messi spoke about a range of topics in his press conference on Wednesday, and also praised his new teammate, Marco Verratti.
Lionel Messi: I want to win the Champions League with PSG.
Messi said on Wednesday he was delighted to have signed for PSG and that he was ready to help the team clinch their first-ever Champions League title.
The Argentinean forward had agreed to stay at former club Barcelona after his deal expired at the end of June, only for the Spanish club to admit they could no longer afford him last week.
He signed a two-year deal with an option for a third with the Parisians on Tuesday.
?"I think now people will want to see PSG games, so it will be positive for the rest of the clubs."
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says that Lionel Messi signing for PSG will be great for the whole of the French league pic.twitter.com/GFd9OQMqE5
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 11, 2021
“That’s why I am here. It’s an ambitious club,” Messi, who will wear the number 30 jersey, told a press conference.
“You can see they’re ready to fight for everything.
“My dream is to win another Champions League, and I think this is the ideal place to be to do that.”
Messi: I need a pre-season before I can play for PSG.
The Argentine conceded he did not know when he would be able to make his debut given he has not played since winning the Copa America with his country last month.
“I’m coming back from holiday. I need a bit of a pre-season and get myself going. Hopefully debuting can be soon but I can’t give you a date. It’s up to the coaches.”
PSG say they are complying with FFP rules.
Eyebrows were raised as to how PSG could afford to sign Messi within UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. However, club chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was sat alongside Messi, insisted the deal was well within their economic scope.
“We are always attentive to Financial Fair Play. It’s the first thing we check with the commercial, financial and legal people to see if we can do it before signing someone,” he said.
“I think the media need to focus on the positives and not just the negatives of these moves, but what positives he brings. He’s an unbelievable asset to the club.”
PSG fans welcome Messi.
Al-Khelaifi’s point was backed up by thousands of excited fans who had gathered outside the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, banging on drums, waving flags and chanting Messi’s name.
“My arrival here was both surprising and crazy,” Messi said.
“It was the icing on the cake as if I needed any more convincing. I’m grateful to the fans, it was crazy to see people on the streets in Paris without the deal even being done last week. I was stunned.”
Messi: I will always be thankful to Barcelona.
Messi on Sunday wept as he told Barcelona fans he was leaving his childhood club and admitted that while he is sad, he is looking forward to the new challenge and hoped they would understand his decision making.
“I’ll always be thankful to Barca and their fans. I went there as a boy, and we had some good and bad times,” he said.
Lionel Messi catching a shirt out of the crowd as he meets the PSG fans for the first time ? pic.twitter.com/eOrR4Io4Gf
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 11, 2021
“The Barca fans knew I’d join a good club, fighting for the Champions League, because they know me, I like to win, I’m a winner and I want to carry on doing that.
“I don’t doubt that PSG’s objective is to win and grow. It would be nice on the one hand to face them (Barcelona) in the Champions League, especially with fans, but on the other strange to go back to my home in another team’s shirt – but that’s football.”
Messi praises Verratti.
Messi also praised his new teammate Verratti, saying that the Italy midfielder is a “phenomenon.”
?“Marco Verratti has shown that he is a huge player, one of the best in the world in his position. He is a phenomenon."
Lionel Messi is a huge fan of Marco Verratti ?? pic.twitter.com/1Rb8pKQ9JR
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 11, 2021
(Reuters).
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