The arrival of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi in Paris has had the effect of a bomb in the football world and more widely in the world of sport.
Extremely powerful in economic and diplomatic terms, this capital signature offers the capital club as many opportunities as challenges on the ground.
TO ANALYSE
In a few days, the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room will go from zero to six Ballons d'Or.
Suddenly, in one (or almost), the capital club changes dimension by recording very soon the ultra-publicized signing of Lionel Messi, six-time recipient of the greatest individual award in football.
Colossal from an economic point of view, gigantic for the image of PSG, fundamental for the influence of Qatar, the arrival of La Pulga will first be successful if everything goes as the club hopes on the ground.
And in this area, former club figures interviewed by Europe 1 do not totally agree.
Always above the other players?
Arrived Tuesday afternoon, Lionel Messi becomes, de facto, a superstar of the club of the capital, with a direct impact on the men's game of Mauricio Pochettino, Argentinian like him. "It will be very complicated for the defenders to play on a player like him", jokes Jimmy Algérino, former Parisian defender. "The player is quite admirable, a real footballer with a natural class", abounds Daniel Hechter, who had taken over the club in the early 1970s.
A question nevertheless arises: at 34, is the former Barça player still at the top of his game? Certainly "not below" because of a monster talent, "he was a bit in a kind of comfort zone in Barcelona", judge Laurent Fournier, who played and coached the club. "There, he will be forced to move, to find a new championship, to make the necessary efforts to be the best possible."
But for Luis Fernandez, PSG coach in the early 2000s, Lionel Messi was no longer quite above other great players in recent seasons, also disappointing for his Barcelona club.
"He had a lot more difficulties lately", even if "he will still want to achieve great things" in the Parisian jersey, wants to believe the ex-international.
A Neymar-Mbappé-Messi trio under pressure
Beyond his individual contribution, Lionel Messi will form with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé a trio with unparalleled attacking potential in the club at present. "On paper, it's incredible to see these three players aligned," said Jimmy Algérino. Enough to destabilize all the defenses of Europe, including those which have systematically blocked the road of the Parisians in the Champions League? "There are many, many stars and that will cause some problems for the coach," warns Daniel Hechter. "Who are you withdrawing at one point? To withdraw an Icardi and manage him as a replacement is not easy. There are players who are not sortable. You take out Mbappé, he is not going to be happy, like Neymar and Messi. "
Because the alchemy and performance of this golden trio will depend on the future of Paris Saint-Germain, under maximum pressure to succeed next spring. "I wish the manager good luck in finding the right animation, the good relations on the pitch and that it can satisfy everyone to see a great PSG team", hopes Luis Fernandez. For the club, now led by one of the very best players in history, failure is no longer allowed.