Paris Saint-Germain star rookie Argentinian Lionel Messi, six times Ballon d'Or, will play his first match for Paris on Sunday in Reims, with his Brazilian sidekick Neymar and talented Kylian Mbappé in the future still uncertain.

The suspense was no longer very thick, but the Parisian club removed the last veil of uncertainty on Sunday morning by publishing the list of 22 players summoned to Champagne-Ardenne.

And for the first time since his signing, free from FC Barcelona, ​​"Leo" appears in the Parisian group.

"Leo I, a king in Reims"

Will he be aligned from the start on the lawn of Auguste-Delaune, or will he attend the kick-off from the substitutes' bench?

It does not matter, to tell the truth, as his coming to Reims, not far from the cathedral which housed the coronation of many monarchs of France, is an event in itself.

"Leo I, a king in Reims", feasts in advance the sports daily L'Équipe in one of its Sunday edition, with this introduction: "The whole world will follow this evening the debut of Lionel Messi in Ligue 1, in the city of coronations. "

In the columns of the Parisian, we salivate at the idea of ​​seeing the trio of attacking golden Messi / Neymar / Mbappé associated for the first and, perhaps, the last time if the French world champion came to realize his desires to departure for Real Madrid by Tuesday at midnight, gong end of the summer transfer window.

"On the lawn of Reims, a story club, a myth for those who have memory, three of the most beautiful artists of this game have an appointment for a gala which we do not know if it will have a sequel" , can we read in an editorial of the newspaper.

The Auguste-Delaune stadium will indeed be overwhelming for the premiere of Messi in the heart of this fabulous trio.

What remind the oldest supporters of Reims the time when one of the best players in the world trod their lawn: Raymond Kopa, in the 1950s.

Mbappé's fate still unknown

Exempted from the two PSG matches played since his arrival, to get back to physical level after his leave, the "Pulga" (the chip, in Spanish) finally finds his former partner and friend at Barça, Neymar, who left Barcelona for Paris in 2017.

That summer, PSG had broken the piggy bank to attract the Brazilian international, against a check for 222 million euros, as well as the prodigy striker of AS Monaco (ASM), Mbappé, through the intermediary of 'a loan with option to buy of 180 million euros, plus 35 million euros promised to the ASM on a future transfer.

Four years later, the Frenchman became part of the elite of the best forwards, became world champion with the Blues in 2018, and his rating remains as high as ever.

At the dawn of his last year of contract, Mbappé has desires elsewhere and leaves the threat of a departure, without compensation for PSG, at the end of the 2020/21 season.

In this context, Real Madrid entered the dance with a first offer of 160 million euros, before returning to the charge by offering 170 million euros, plus 10 million almost automatic bonus, according to press reports. .

For the time being, the negotiations between the French club and the Spanish giant, which Mbappé dreams of since childhood, have not led to any agreement two days before the end of the transfer window.

PSG supporters will not complain, and those of Reims either: Sunday evening, they should attend a historic event, with global reach.

With AFP

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