The Guardian - All eyes were on Messi as he made his debut this weekend. Meanwhile, PSG’s most important player scored two goals
By Eric Devin for Get French Football News
The adulation and anticipation that had bubbled away since PSG announced the signing of Lionel Messi finally came to a head on Sunday evening when he came on for the last 25 minutes of PSG’s 2-0 win over Reims. As is to be expected for a player who is still getting to know new teammates in a new league after a long summer in which he won the Copa América with Argentina, he was quietly impressive but did not have a huge impact on the game.
Mauricio Pochettino, though, was quick to outline the difference his countryman made to the team, saying: “I felt it as soon as he came on, across his first touches. He brought a sense of calm to the team. He is happy and is blending in well with the team.” Messi replaced Neymar – another player who had a busy summer – and played on the left of a front three, with Kylian Mbappé through the middle and Ángel Di María on the right. Messi was greeted with a hearty round of applause from the home crowd and was subjected to a rather brusque challenge from Reims midfielder Marshall Munetsi but, in all, his first appearance in French football was rather uneventful. Continue reading...