Lionel Messi may have to wait a little longer to make his Paris Saint-Germain debut, but the Argentine wizard was bowled over by the "incredible" reception he received from fans as he strode out at Parc des Princes on Saturday.
Messi turned the football world upside down this week when he left Barcelona after 21 years to join Neymar and Co. in the French capital.
And while he is not quite ready to take the pitch for PSG, he has already made a big impression on his new supporters.
What was said?
Messi joined Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma on the field on Saturday for their official presentation to the Parc des Princes faithful.
The five summer signings were paraded around the stadium prior to PSG's Ligue 1 clash with Strasbourg, with Leo unsurprisingly receiving a huge ovation.
"It has been a very special week, I want to thank everybody for their welcome," he said on the Parc des Princes turf after that introduction.
"It was incredible, I feel so happy, hopeful and delighted to be experiencing this new stage. I hope we can enjoy this year."
The bigger picture
Saturday's clash is PSG's second of the 2021-22 season, having kicked off their campaign last weekend with a 2-1 defeat of Troyes.
Messi will play no part in the clash, having spent much of the summer on international duty with Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers and their triumphant Copa America campaign, followed by an extended holiday period while those ultimately doomed contract extensions with Barcelona continued.
Indeed, just two of that quintet, Hakimi and Wijnaldum, have been included in Mauricio Pochettino's squad, with the former marking his PSG debut with a goal last week.
"When will we see Leo? This is his second day of training and it's been a month since he played his last game, the Copa America final," Pochettino signalled in a press conference on Friday.
"We will take it step by step, getting to know one another. Our priority is for him to be in good shape, feel good and when he is in top condition make his debut."
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