Lionel Messi signs with PSG, to wear No. 30 after Barcelona exit
Messi has signed a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 side, with the option of extending for a further year. Sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens that Messi is expected to earn between €30-35 million ($35-41 million) net a year.
"I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain. Everything about the club matches my football ambitions. I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here. I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes," Messi said in a statement.
PSG will hold a news conference on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CEST (5 a.m. ET) to formally introduce Messi. He arrived to the French capital on Tuesday via private plane and then completed his medical exam and visited Parc des Princes stadium.
Messi will wear No. 30 with PSG, which was his first number at Barcelona. Neymar, now reunited with his ex-Barca teammate, had offered the No. 10 but Messi refused. PSG asked for authorisation, as No. 30 is reserved for goalkeepers under league rules and was worn by Alexandre Letellier.
Hundreds of PSG fans waited for Messi's arrival at the Bourget airport and at Parc des Princes, as well at Hotel Le Royal Monceau, where the player and family are staying. The hotel is the same location Neymar stayed when he completed his world-record €222 million move to PSG in 2017.
"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," PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. "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."