Ligue 1, say hello to your newest and biggest megastar: Lionel Messi. After his stunning exit from Barcelona, Messi is now taking his all-time great talents to Paris-Saint Germain.
Messi will be teaming up with old mate Neymar, old foe Sergio Ramos, and heir apparent Kylian Mbappe to form the most star-studded side in all of Europe.
Read on below as SBOTOP breaks down this blockbuster transfer that has shaken the football world to its very core.
Messi makes his move
It did not take too long for Messi to move on after his tearful goodbye from Barcelona as he signed a two-year contract (with an option for a third year) with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly worth over $100 million.
There were only a handful of clubs in the world with enough resources that Messi could realistically join besides Barca. PSG and Manchester City, with their seemingly unlimited budgets that could meet Messi’s wage demands, topped that list.
City, who have close ties to Messi with Pep Guardiola and other former Barcelona executives, had serious interest in signing Messi last summer. But as evidenced by their record-breaking £100 million purchase of Jack Grealish, they seem to be headed in a different direction these days.
That only left Paris as Messi’s most logical destination, and they gladly pounced to get perhaps the greatest player of all time onboard.
Messi becomes part of another all-time trio
Messi’s arrival at PSG means that the much-speculated reunion between him and former Barcelona team-mate Neymar is finally a reality. The two have spoken openly about their desire to play with each other again over the past few years, and their dreams have come true in Paris.
Messi and Neymar – along with Luis Suarez – formed the fabled ‘MSN’, arguably the greatest attacking trio ever assembled. With those three scoring 122 goals between them, Barca dominated Spain and Europe as they won the treble in 2015. And they went on to score 131 and 111 goals combined in the other two seasons they were together.
In Paris, Messi and Neymar will now team up with another top striker in Kylian Mbappe to form ‘MNM’, which could seriously challenge ‘MSN’ for that title of greatest trio.
Messi and Neymar are significantly older than they were, but as they showed in this summer’s Copa America – where they shared the Player of the Tournament award and led their countries to the final – they are still up there among the best in the world. And in Mbappe, they have a young superstar who, despite his struggles in Euro 2020, is certainly capable of reaching their level.
With Messi now age 34, the plan is likely for him to be more of a full-time playmaker, delivering balls to Neymar, Mbappe, and Achraf Hakimi as they make runs in behind defences. That will be a major upgrade to the talent he was surrounded with during his last few years at Barcelona, so Messi should be put in a position to produce plenty of Ligue 1 2021 highlights in Paris.
Messi and PSG out to conquer Europe
The Ligue 1 2021 odds were overwhelmingly in favour of PSG reclaiming the French title even before Messi’s arrival, and they are even stronger favourites with ‘The Flea’ now in the fold.
But Messi and PSG have bigger ambitions in mind, which is winning the Champions League. Messi, who has not won it since 2015, has been desperate for another taste of the title. And after reaching the final in 2020, PSG are all set to make another strong push this season.
Aside from Messi, PSG also added Euro 2020-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, legendary centre-back Sergio Ramos, Serie A-winning wing-back Achraf Hakimi, and Premier League- and Champions League-winning midfielder Gini Wijnaldum during this incredible transfer window for the ages.
On paper, they are every bit as good as any squad in all of Europe and should walk to the Ligue 1 title. But despite the amazing talent at his disposal, manager Mauricio Pochettino will have work to do to succeed in the Champions League.
As great as Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe are in attack, playing all three will pose a significant challenge defensively. Having Hakimi also adds another potential liability at the back, which will put enormous pressure on the likes of Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos, and Wijnaldum in defence.
But that will all add to the intrigue of Messi’s journey in Paris. He will finally be out of his comfort zone in Catalunya for the first time in his career, and it will be fascinating to watch how the greatest of all time responds to this new challenge.
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