Lionel Messi is now officially a player of Paris Saint-Germain! The Argentine maestro arrived in Paris yesterday, undergoing medical examinations and is already posing with the team of his new team.
Messi's press conference was also organized, at which he will answer journalistic questions as a new addition to PSG.
This official statement of the Barcelona legend was eagerly awaited by thousands of PSG fans who had gathered in front of the stadium to hear what one of the superstars of modern football would say.
As Messi and his family approached the press conference room, they began chanting, "Messi, Messi!", Showing how excited they were by the Argentine's swearing-in at the Parc des Princes.
Club president Nasser Al Khalaifi was the first to speak. He said: "Today is a historic day for world football. Messi is the only player who has won the Golden Ball 6 times, the best player on the planet and for all of us and for all fans it is a great happiness that they will be able to enjoy him from now on. We have big ambitions for our project and now they end with the arrival of the best player in the world. We hope Messi will win many trophies with his new teammates, who are the best in the world. I will not forget the headquarters. Director Leo (Leonardo) and everyone else in the club. They do an amazing job for the team, for the fans and for the history of the club. Leo, thank you and your family for trusting us and welcome you to your new home.
After his welcome speech, it was time for Leo Messi to say a few words after the transfer from Barcelona to PSG.
"Hello, I want to thank the president for his words. I am very happy, everyone knows how I left Barcelona, it was very difficult, after so many years in the team. It is difficult to make a change after so long. However, the happiness is huge now, I can't wait to be able to train and get involved in the game quickly. Now I enjoy time with my family, but I want to start training and meet with my teammates to start this new stage of my career. I want to thank the president, Leonardo and the whole club for the way they have treated me since the negotiations with Barcelona began. It was a difficult situation and I appreciate that everything happened so quickly so easily with the deal. I really want to, I want to keep winning trophies. This is an ambitious club and is ready to fight for everything. This is my goal - to continue to win titles. I want to thank the people of Paris for arriving, the reception on their part was great. We will fight for all the titles. I am very happy to be here, "said the winner of 6 Golden Balls.
"I am very happy to be able to share a locker room with these players. I want to start competing with the best and it's always very nice and beautiful ", said the Argentine and added:" I'm coming after a month in which I haven't trained and in which I was a free agent, so I will definitely have to do a pre-season preparation myself and when I'm ready, I'll start playing. I'm really looking forward to it, but I don't know the date of my first match. It will depend on how I feel and what the coaching staff decides.
He did not fail to talk about the last days, when it became clear that he would not stay in Barcelona: "Everything that happened to me in the last week was difficult on the one hand, but at the same time it was exciting. Without leaving behind the experience, but I am excited about this new stage that I have to go through in sports with my family. I had to go through all these feelings and I had to accept the situation little by little. "
President Al Khalifa, for his part, said: "Our goal is to win every game, every trophy, and now Leo and I are even closer to that goal. We want to work and win titles. "
"I am very grateful to the people, it was really crazy. I was in Barcelona and people were already on the street. I want to thank you and tell them that we will enjoy it very much. I hope that this will be a good year for them from a sports point of view ", Messi thanked the fans, who have gathered many times in recent days to send him from Brazil and then to welcome him to PSG.
Messi also commented on the performance of his new team in the Champions League in recent seasons: "There are times when you have the best team in the world and still not win. We know how difficult the Champions League is, PSG also knows it, as it was very close. This is a race in which the best are present and we will have to have a group that is united and strong, and only then will it take a little luck. The best does not always win. This is a special race and that makes it so beautiful. That's why everyone loves her. I came to a team that is almost finished. In recent years, he was close to winning the Champions League. I come to help and give my best, with more enthusiasm than ever. My dream is to win another Champions League and I have come to the perfect place so I can do it.
Nasser Al Khalifa added: "The Champions League is not easy at all and we will fight to get as far as possible. We are now focusing on the League and later on the Champions League, but of course that is our goal. We remain calm and reasonable. "
The new addition to the Parisians also revealed what influenced his choice to come to France: "I have friends and acquaintances in the locker room. Watching the team, one gets excited about the goals that both PSG and I are looking for. I hope we are stronger now. I know Di Maria and Paredes and I was in contact with them. They were a factor in my choice to come here. I arrived because I have friends at PSG. The French league has grown a lot in recent years and this makes it more competitive. The other teams want to beat PSG and I will have a new experience at another stadium. "
However, he does not forget where he came from: "Before I left, without knowing where I was going, I had already said that Barcelona was my home. I experienced many things there. The club knew that I was going to a competitive team because I wanted to win the Champions League. I want to keep winning titles and PSG want the same. I don't know if we will face Barcelona. On the one hand it will be nice, I hope to be with people in the stands, but on the other hand it will be very strange to play at home with another team. That's something that can happen. "
"I grew up there on a football level and gained a lot of experience, which made me grow as an athlete and as a person. I have had this goal since I was a child. I love to win and I will give everything to achieve my goals, "he added.
Al-Khalifa also revealed how the club acted in attracting the star: "Both sides wanted to make this possible. It all happened very quickly. When we learned that Messi would not stay (in Barcelona), we started talking. We always follow the fair play, we always consult with all our lawyers. If we sign with Messi, it is because we have the opportunity to sign with Messi, otherwise we would not do it. There are many positive things that he will bring to the club. We have grown a lot in these three days. I hope Messi doesn't want a higher salary, but we have always followed the rules of financial fair play. "
The Argentine did not fail to say a few words about the coach of PSG - Mauricio Pochettino: "I have known him for a long time. There was contact between us and we talked. Everything was very good from the beginning. The coaching staff and the staff of PSG did a lot for me to choose this club.
"With the arrival of Messi, the championship will raise its level. I hope that TV rights and trading partners will increase. It is amazing that now everyone will want to watch PSG. We have increased the value of our club and the interest in it. We have the opportunity to work for everyone - for the team, for the fans, for the city, "said the president of PSG.
"When I talked to Leonardo, all I said was that I hoped my family would adapt well. I am prepared, this is a new experience for me, but football is the same everywhere. I have friends in the locker room who will help me. I am very happy to start this new adventure and meet my new colleagues. Everything is new to us, but I'm ready. We are in a spectacular city and we will enjoy it. We are calm and happy, "said Messi about how his family will adapt to the new situation in the French capital.
At the end of the press conference, the striker spoke about one of his new teammates - Marco Verrati: "He showed that he is a great player. Barça have wanted him for many years. Now the opposite happened, I came here to play with him. He is a phenomenon and an amazing boy. In the locker room, everyone is among the best in the world and I hope that I will be able to help achieve the desired goal of PSG.
After the statement to the media, Messi posed with his new PSG shirt. In the French grand he will wear №30 on his back. This was the first number of the Argentine when he played for Barcelona.
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