Lionel Messi who arrived in Paris on Tuesday with his wife and children for his medical with Paris Saint-Germain has signed a £1million-per-week two-year contract with the club.
The Argentine footballer, who left Barcelona after 21 years last week, has the option of an additional year other than the 2-year contract, the French club announced on Tuesday.
Meanwhile Messi will wear the number 30, the number he had when he began his professional career at Barcelona, and is set to be unveiled by PSG at a press conference on Wednesday.
He was pictured at Barcelona airport alongside his wife Antonella and their three children, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro earlier on Tuesday. Antonella later posted a selfie alongside her husband as they sat on their private jet waiting to fly to France.
The footballer was greeted by hundreds of PSG supporters who had gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of their new signing.
Fans also gathered outside the club’s Parc des Princes home and near a hotel in the city where Messi along with wife Antonella and their three children are expected to be staying.
The Argentine star, who was wearing a t-shirt that said ‘Ici c’est Paris’ which means ‘Here is Paris’ and is widely used on PSG branding, touched down later in the afternoon and was seen waving to the supporters who had gathered to see Messi’s arrival at Paris–Le Bourget Airport.
Messi’s father Jorge, who is also his agent, had earlier confirmed the inevitable as he arrived at Barcelona’s El Prat airport to board a flight to France.
When asked who was responsible at Barcelona for allowing their greatest ever player to leave, Jorge Messi replied “You have to ask the club.”
Meanwhile, PSG posted a teaser clip on their Twitter account which shows 6 Ballon d’Ors kept in front of the Eiffel Tower and a space in the dressing room between Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
“I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain,” Messi said in a statement on the club’s website.
“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.” he added.
Meanwhile, Messi’s annual salary is expected to be in the region of €63m (£53m), putting his earnings at just over £1m a week. He will sit in France’s highest tax bracket of 45 per cent, leaving his take-home pay at around £550,000 per week.
Sources close to negotiations have re-affirmed that Barcelona could not afford to keep Messi even if he stayed for free as even without him; they are above the wage cap for LaLiga this season. Due to that reason they did not attempt to persuade Messi to drop his salary.
