Home/Soccer

The transfer of Lionel Messi from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain was the biggest of any transfer window in a long time. However, unlike Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid to Juventus, this move wasn’t a result of a breakdown between the club and the player.

La Liga regulations didn’t allow Barcelona to register Messi with his wages, and there’s a similar problem that the Spanish club is currently facing with Memphis Depay. If they fail to sign Depay, it’ll be regarded as a disastrous move by all parties involved.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, Messi has moved on to his new club and has signed a bumper deal to make around €35 million net per year. In addition to this, he will also receive a €25m signing-on bonus. He signed a two-year contract at the Parc des Princes that includes the option for a third. As a result, he’ll earn €66 every minute.

It’s a sharp drop off from the €70 million he was earning at Barcelona. However, the Argentinian won’t mind the salary drop as he will be playing with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr.

Messi could make his PSG debut as soon as Saturday night, when Mauricio Pochettino’s side host Strasbourg in their second Ligue 1 fixture of the new season, looking to build on the opening 2-1 win at Troyes. Fans of the Parisian side would love to see the greatest player of all time suit up for them as soon as possible.

Lionel Messi will wear the Number 30 at Paris Saint Germain.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Messi and PSG agreed on a contract in just two days, and everything went smoothly. However, there was some controversy around Messi’s jersey number as he wore the number 10 for Barcelona. His former teammate Neymar Jr. wears that number for the French club.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

As a result, Messi chose the number 30 to wear on his back. He wore the number when he made his senior debut for FC Barcelona and had the shirt for two seasons till he switched to number 19 in 2007. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of numbers he puts up with this new challenge.

Read More: VIDEO: FC Barcelona Win First Match Without Lionel Messi Against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus