The football world froze in anticipation of a historic event for the sport - the transfer of the six-time Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi to the French club Paris Saint-Germain. Although there was no official confirmation of the signing of a contract with the Argentine striker, on Tuesday, fans had no doubts about where one of the greatest footballers in history continued his career.
On August 5, it became known that Messi will no longer play for Barcelona, where he spent his entire professional career. Despite the fact that the parties were ready to conclude a new agreement, the club said that it would not be able to do so. A contract with an Argentinean would not have allowed the financial fair play requirements of the Example to be met. Barcelona President Joan Laporta said the club would have to sacrifice too much to save Messi, and one player cannot be worth it.
After these sensational statements, the fans began to discuss where Messi would continue his career.
Even before the footballer gave a press conference at which he could somehow clarify the situation about his future, the most realistic option was to move to PSG.
This was said both by various sources in the media and by Laporta himself.
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reported that the French club even rented the Eiffel Tower to announce the Argentine's signature.
In the same way, PSG represented their other star Neymar, with whom, by the way, Messi had previously played in Barcelona.
The footballer himself did not claim that he would go to PSG.
In a conversation with journalists, Messi emphasized that no agreements have yet been reached, and several clubs are interested in his services.
At the same time, he also did not rule out his transfer to the leading French team.
But then all the cards were revealed by his father and agent Jorge Messi.
On August 10, when boarding a plane from Barcelona to Paris, he bluntly announced that his son would go to PSG.
Soon, journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Messi Jr. was also heading to the French capital to sign the contract until the summer of 2023 with a possible extension for another season.
While the Argentine footballer was flying with his family, there was another confirmation of his transfer to PSG.
This time, the situation was heated by his former and, apparently, future teammate Neymar.
In his Instagram, he published a joint video with Messi and the caption "Together again."
Finally, the silence was also broken at PSG.
The club posted two short videos on their Twitter, which do not contain any specific information, but you can see a photo of six Ballons of Gold in front of the Eiffel Tower - a clear hint that the only winner of these trophies in history will continue his career in Paris.
Later, the club posted another video from the locker room, where one of the lockers is occupied by the Argentine flag.
👀 pic.twitter.com/KDqh6cG9zl
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 10, 2021
Almost at the same time as the publication of these videos, Messi landed in Paris and went out to greet the fans who greeted him.
He appeared in public wearing a T-shirt with the words "Here is Paris", which is the motto of PSG fans.
From the airport, Messi went for a medical examination - a mandatory procedure before signing the contract.
He rode through the streets of the French capital, accompanied by a whole motorcade.
Paris has stopped for Messi 😳🇫🇷
(via @CanalSupporters) pic.twitter.com/MyKJqzDItI
- ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 10, 2021
However, Messi's move to PSG and the start of a new era in European football was never officially announced on Tuesday. After the arrival of the Argentinean, the club announced that the next day they would hold a press conference at their home arena, Parc des Princes. And although the topic of the event was not announced, fans can hardly have doubts that it will be dedicated to the signing of the contract.
By the way, the hype around Messi and his transfer to the Parisian club provoked a small scandal in French sports. Handball player Cleopatra Darleux, who won gold at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, is outraged by the media coverage of the former Barcelona player. The day before, she posted the front page of the latest issue of L'Équipe on her Twitter. Contrary to her expectations, the newspaper devoted the reversal not to the victory of the French women in the main competitions of the fourth year, but to the imminent appearance of Messi in Paris, which at that time had not yet been confirmed.