- Title: Messi makes football 'beautiful', says Paris St Germain president
- Date: 11th August 2021
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (AUGUST 11, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FANS CHEERING OUTSIDE STADIUM VARIOUS OF FANS GATHERED AND CHEERING WITH SCREEN SHOWING MESSI ARRIVING AND GIVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 25th August 2021 11:08
- Keywords: Champions League Khelaifi Lionel Messi PSG Parc des Princes Paris financing
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Europe,Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA002EPU643R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: EDIT 3134-SOCCER-MESSI/PARIS-PRESSER CONTAINS SOUNDBITES OF MESSI
Nasser al-Khelaifi, the president and CEO of Paris St Germain, said it was an "amazing and historic day" to present Lionel Messi as a player for the French soccer powerhouse.
"He makes football magic, beautiful. He is a winner," al-Khelaifi told a news conference on Wednesday (August 11).
Messi joined star-packed Paris St Germain on Tuesday (August 10) after leaving Barcelona, the club where he had begun and expected to end his career.
Al-Khelaifi said the signing of Messi by French powerhouse PSG was in line with European soccer's Financial Fair Play rules.
The owners of PSG, the deep-pocketed Qatar Sports Investment, have spent lavishly on its star-studded line-up in recent years.
Al-Khelaifi said people would be "shocked" by the financial revenues Messi would bring the club, though he quipped: "I hope Leo will not ask for more salary."
Messi's arrival at the club adds one of the best players of his generation to an already formidable PSG attack that includes Brazil's Neymar and French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.
Asked about Mbappe's future, Nasser al-Khelaifi said: "He's a Paris player."
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