Lionel Messi can really smile again.
And how: What was unimaginable for many for a long time, after a little test of patience for the fans of Paris Saint-Germain, suddenly came to an end.
"Is there anything better than that ??" asked former English soccer star David Beckham.
Hardly: Messi will play for PSG until at least the end of June 2023 - he is now the superstar in a team full of stars.
With an option for another season for the now 34-year-old Argentinian.
“He made no secret of the fact that he wants to continue playing at the highest level and win trophies. And our ambitions as a club are the same, ”said PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Messi's commitment is likely to be the masterpiece of the 47-year-old businessman from Qatar regardless of the engagement of a Neymar in the summer of 2017 for the record transfer of 222 million euros or a Kylian Mbappé a year later for 145 million euros.
Now these three exceptional players - if Mbappé stays - can form the new super-magical triangle of world football.
PSG wrote of an "extraordinary team that promises unbelievable football moments in the years to come".
It will now also be the exciting task for coach Mauricio Pochettino - Argentines like Messi - to make this ensemble an unbeatable team.
"Send you all the titles right away"
"If Messi moves to Paris Saint-German, they will practically play alone," the former Bayern professional James Rodríguez recently said on Twitch about the possible Paris attack trio with Messi, Mbappé and Neymar: "You should get them all titles right away send."
European champion Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, his national team colleague Marco Verratti, the former Real Madrid icon Sergio Ramos - there are only three more from a seemingly endless row of top players. Like the former German world champion Julian Draxler and national player Thilo Kehrer. Quite a few feel reminded of the Galactics of Real in the early 2000s - only with asterisks thanks to Messi, whose signing of the contract was confirmed by PSG late Tuesday evening.
Messi will be presented at a press conference this Wednesday (11 a.m.).
It should also be a show to suit the taste of the fans after PSG finally staged the day of the arrival of the six-time world footballer perfectly.
After the announcement an hour and a half before midnight, there were short videos, pictures and reactions via social networks.
From the departure at home in Castelldefels near Barcelona, the flight with his wife and three sons in a private jet, the view from the plane of Paris and the Eiffel Tower, the arrival in Le Bourget, the transfer with escort to the medical check - all captured in pictures .
Previously, PSG - in the media, the agreement had long been a done deal - fueled curiosity with Einspielers.
Messi joined the club for the first time in his professional career free of charge.
When he was 13, he moved from Rosario to Barcelona.
"La Pulga" (The Flea), as they quickly called it, suffered from stunted growth.
Barça paid for the treatment.
21 years later, the dream connection ended after 35 joint titles.
The rules of financial fair play in the Spanish league did not allow a continuation, according to the official representation of the club, which was in debt with almost 490 million euros.
A shock for Messi, who absolutely wanted to stay after he absolutely wanted to leave in the summer of 2020 after sporting low blows and indiscretions to the detriment of himself and the team.
Messi said goodbye to FC Barcelona on Sunday with tears, two days later the smile was back.