Paris: Lionel Messi won’t be called ‘LM10’ anymore after he moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal and will be wearing No.30 in his new club. The 34-year-old Argentine completed the move on Tueaday taking the whole world by surprise.
While there have been tears rolling out from thousands of Messi fans, the former Barcelona star wearing No.30 on his back at PSG also garnered several interests. According to French football rules, No.30 is usually assigned to goalkeepers besides No.1 and 16.
Meanwhile, PSG made a formal request to France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel so that Messi can take the jersey and which was duly approved by them. For the fact, Messi started his career with the Catalan giants with the same jersey number.
The Barcelona talisman has played with the No. 10 on his back for years now but chose to go with a new number for the Paris-based club. The No.10 in PSG belongs to Neymar, who reportedly agreed to give it to his former teammate, but Messi refused and chose his first professional number.
🤩❤️💙 Welcome, Leo Messi! #PSGxMESSI pic.twitter.com/qxIbjLWFaS
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 11, 2021
At PSG, Messi will be reunited with his former teammate Neymar and also his Argentina pals Angel Di Maria and Leonardo Parades, with whom he recently won the Copa America title. Messi arrived in Barcelona when he was merely a 13-year-old boy from Rosario.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has spent the major part of his professional life with the Catalan side, achieving all the feats possible and rising to glory. However, due to the La Liga Financial Fair Play rules and Barcelona’s financial crisis, Messi had to leave the club despite reducing his wage by 50 per cent.
“Leaving Barcelona was so hard. But I’m so happy to join Paris Saint-Germain, ambitious club with a top team. They’ve been so fast and serious in the negotiations immediately after Barca’s statement last Thursday,” Messi said.
