Lionel Messi played his heart

Lionel Messi made his Ligue 1 debut, to loud applause – also from fans of the opposing team. The star ran into his friend Neymar in the 65th minute in a 2-0 win over new employer Paris Saint-Germain in Reims and immediately won hearts. And unlike top scorer Kylian Mbappe, the 34-year-old Argentine played inconspicuously, but his presence alone gave this match a special flair in front of 20,525 eyewitnesses.

“He was satisfied with the team and happy that he can develop with his teammates. I’m sure we will be better soon,” said Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, who leads his team by a maximum of 12 points.

After the final whistle, not only did his teammates gather around Messi, Reims goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic stopped the exceptional footballer and asked him for a photo. The 25-year-old gave Messi his son Relia (2), took the pacifier out of the young man’s mouth and took the souvenir photo with his mobile phone. The less fortunate was defender Andrew Gravelon, who unsuccessfully tried to get Messi’s jersey.