Paris’ Parc des Princes erupts as Messi is presented to fans

Paris, Aug 14 (EFE).- He has not yet made his debut with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) but the Parc des Princes already has its new monarch in Leo Messi, who was given a raucous welcome by a packed stadium of almost 50,000 fans on Saturday.

Messi jumped onto the pitch 40 minutes before the start of PSG’s game against Strasbourg, on the second day of Ligue-1 in France, along with four other new signings – Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum.

The new recruits presented by PSG emerged one by one and took their places on the grass, where they spoke to the crowd.

For at least two minutes, fans chanted the name of the former Barcelona captain and new PSG number 30.

“It has been a very special week for me. I want to thank everyone for the reception since I arrived in Paris. It has been truly incredible,” said the Argentinian international, who was presented to the media Wednesday.

“I hope together we can enjoy this year and make it a great year for us. I am very excited about everything,” Messi added.

Around the stadium, the feverish atmosphere of recent days was also felt. The subway leading to the venue was overflowing hours before the start of the game and some fans looked for last-minute tickets.

The French authorities authorized a full house in the Parc des Princes, as long as confirmation of vaccination against Covid-19, a negative test or a certificate of recovery was shown by attendees. EFE

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