Paris Saint-Germain have said that they are delighted to sign Lionel Messi on a two-year contract with an option of a third year.
The club described Messi as “a legend of the game and a true inspiration for those of all ages inside and outside football”.
“The signing of Leo reinforces Paris Saint-Germain’s aspirations as well as providing the club’s loyal fans with not only an exceptionally talented squad, but also moments of incredible football in the coming years,” the club said in a press statement on their website on Tuesday after the signing of the former Barcelona superstar.
Chairman and CEO of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, said signing Messi was a strategic decision for the club.
According to him, the club signed Messi to win trophies and improve the quality of their squad.
He said, “I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain and we are proud to welcome him and his family to Paris.
“He has made no secret of his desire to continue competing at the very highest level and winning trophies, and naturally our ambition as a club is to do the same.
“The addition of Leo to our world-class squad continues a very strategic and successful transfer window for the club. Led by our outstanding coach and his staff, I look forward to the team making history together for our fans all around the world.”
The 34-year-old, who was a free agent after his shock departure from boyhood club Barcelona last week, landed at Le Bourget airport to the north of Paris on Tuesday afternoon.
There he was greeted by hundreds of PSG supporters who had gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of their new signing.
Those fans also gathered outside the club’s Parc des Princes stadium and outside a plush hotel in the city where Messi along with wife Antonella and their three children are expected to be staying.
Messi waved to crowds while sporting a Paris t-shirt on his arrival at the airport before being taken for a medical at a hospital just outside the city, the final step before his signing could be made official by the Qatar-backed club.
Messi’s father Jorge, who is also his agent, earlier confirmed the inevitable as he arrived at Barcelona’s El Prat airport to board a flight to France.
PSG’s move for Messi had been an open secret for days, although reports in Spain on Monday night talked of a “final offer” by Barcelona to try to keep the player.
Instead, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner joined a PSG attack already featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
