By Jon Essien
Midway through the second half came the moment all football fans had been waiting for as Argentine Superstar, Lionel Messi came off the Bench to make his Ligue 1 debut for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.
The 34-year-old, wearing the number 30 jersey, replaced Neymar in the 66th at the Stade Auguste-Delaune, with Kylian Mbappe doing the damage with his brace to hand the Parisans a 2-0 victory over Reims.
It was Messi’s first club game of his career for a team other than Barcelona and the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will have to wait for his maiden goal with his new club, and his first start, which could come when PSG host Clermont in their next match on September 11.
“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 Mauricio Pochettino told Amazon.
“We are waiting for the best from him. I’m very happy that he made his debut. It was very important for him.
“He was good, from his first touches he gave the team peace of mind. It’s good for him to start with a win.
“It was good to hear the crowd cheering for him, not just our supporters, it’s something Leo has earned.”
Meanwhile, Mbappe who scored both goals looked to have made his final appearance for the club, with Real Madrid keen to sign him before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
With the win, PSG maintained their spot at the table top with four wins from four games this campaign.
