Look! Messi makes Paris Saint-Germain debut following Barcelona transfer, Mbappe scores both goals in 2-0 win

Argentine star came on as a sub in second half and showed some nice touches

Published: August 30, 2021 11:52 Imran Malik, Assistant Editor

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Waiting patiently... Argentine superstar Lionel Messi made his debut for Paris St-Germain last night in a 2-0 win at Reims in Ligue 1. It was the first club game of his career for a team other than Barcelona. He signed a two-year deal with PSG at the start of August after his 21-year stint with Barca came to an end. Image Credit: Reuters

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Warming up... Messi waited patiently on the substitutes bench and was brought on by coach Mauricio Pochettino in the 66th minute of the match replacing former Barca team-mate Neymar. Image Credit: Reuters

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Standing ovation... Wearing his new number 30 PSG shirt, he received a standing ovation as he replaced Neymar in front of a sell-out crowd. Image Credit: Reuters

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Strike force... PSG forward Kylian Mbappe (left) grabbed both goals against Reims but he has been tipped to leave the French club for Spanish giants Real Madrid as Messi doesn't look too happy about it.... Image Credit: Reuters

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On the ball... Messi was immediately involved in the action when he came on and showed some of his fine dribbling skills. Image Credit: AFP

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Rough and tumble... He may be a global superstar worth billions but he was treated like just another footballer by Reims' Marshall Munetsi. In fact, Messi was sent tumbling several times in the 20 or so minutes he was on the pitch. Image Credit: Reuters

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Through on goal... Reims' Zimbabwean midfielder Marshall Munetsi stopped Messi from scoring by grabbing his jersey. Messi had missed the first few games for PSG since his free transfer move following his exit from Barcelona. This was his first game since winning the Copa America with Argentina in July. Image Credit: AFP

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Takes two to stop him! Munetsi and Yunis Abdelhamid fight for the ball with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner. "He is still far away from his best form but he has been training well and he will be fit in the next two weeks," boss Pochettino said after the match. Image Credit: AFP

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Hands off! Abdelhamid resorted to fouling the tricky forward in a bid to stop him but overall, Messi's performance was relatively low key and there were no major moments in favour of his side following his arrival. Image Credit: Reuters

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Full time... He has only been back in training for a couple of weeks and has been short of match fitness, which resulted in his debut being delayed. Image Credit: AFP

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