All eyes were on Messi as he made his debut this weekend. Meanwhile, PSG’s most important player scored two goals
![What does Lionel Messi’s arrival at PSG mean for Kylian Mbappé? | Eric Devin](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/948f7daa03296bc4d73578a980e0fd94c64d3926/0_0_1887_1133/master/1887.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=cf1d8be56ffe98d26b85f600ae8f58b3)
By Eric Devin for Get French
Football News
The adulation and anticipation that had bubbled away since PSG announced the signing of
Lionel Messi finally came to a head on Sunday evening when he came on for the last 25 minutes of PSG’s 2-0 win over Reims. As is to be expected for a player who is still getting to know new teammates in a new league after a long summer in which he won the Copa América with
Argentina, he was quietly impressive but did not have a huge impact on the game.
Mauricio Pochettino, though, was quick to outline the difference his countryman made to the team, saying: “I felt it as soon as he came on, across his first touches. He brought a sense of calm to the team. He is happy and is blending in well with the team.” Messi replaced Neymar – another player who had a busy summer – and played on the left of a front three, with Kylian Mbappé through the middle and Ángel Di María on the right. Messi was greeted with a hearty round of applause from the home crowd and was subjected to a rather brusque challenge from Reims midfielder Marshall Munetsi but, in all, his first appearance in French football was rather uneventful.