Lionel Messi PSG press conference live updates: Latest news after transfer and Barcelona exit (2024)

Lionel Messi has completed his move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal with the option of a third. He left Barcelona as a free agent after 21 years.

“The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is justifiably considered a legend of the game and a true inspiration for those of all ages inside and outside football.

“The signing of Leo reinforces Paris St Germain's aspirations as well as providing the club's loyal fans with not only an exceptionally talented squad, but also moments of incredible football in the coming years.”

He will take part in a press conference at 10am on Wednesday.

Follow live reaction to this breaking news story below.

(Photo: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Portugal international Jose Fonte has admitted he's tried to convince Cristiano Ronaldo to join him at LOSC Lille.

“I send him a message every day, asking him to come to Lille,” Fonte told talkSPORT and revealed what the Portugal captain replied to his suggestion.

“He only replied: ‘ha, ha, ha’.”

Every football fan would love to see Ronaldo and Messi battle it out in league football again!

During Lionel Messi's first press conference as a Paris Saint-Germain player, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said Kylian Mbappe has to stay at PSG after Messi's arrival.

Mbappe is of serious interest to Spanish giants Real Madrid. His contract in the French capital expires next summer and there has been no indication that he is any closer to renewing his deal.

To find out more about Mbappe's state of play with PSG and more, click here.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi is adamant Paris Saint-Germain will comply with Financial Fair Play regulations despite the arrival of Lionel Messi.

It is understood Messi, 34, will be paid a sign-on fee of €25 million and has signed a two-year contract with a net salary of €25 million per year.

To read more of what Al-Khelaifi said on FFP during Messi's press conference, click here.

Lionel Messi and Neymar have not played together since the Brazilian signed for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017.

Messi will also be able to play alongside Mbappe, who is commonly regarded as the most exciting young player in the world.

To read more about Messi's view on getting to play with Neymar, click here.

Paris Saint-Germain have their first home game of 2021-22 season on Saturday, August 14 where they will host Strasbourg.

Fans, and Messi, hope he will feature in his first game in a PSG shirt but the 34-year-old has admitted he might need to carry out a pre-season before he plays.

To find out more, click here.

It will be a long day for Messi as he continues making his way from interview to interview.

It will have been a very intense 24 hours for the 24-year-old who is experiencing all of the events for the first time.

Messi looks very happy and dapper in his suit but can someone just give him a football already!?

Messi is outside the stadium waving to the fans.

In front of him giant flags are being waved as a handful of red flares are set off. The scenes outside Le Parc des Princes are truly spectacular as thousands of fans have shown up just to get a glimpse of Messi in person.

Some bucket list tick that.

As the press conference ended some Messi chants broke out.

I think every person in Paris is excited by today's events!

The final question of the press conference was whether Messi is happy to play with Marco Verratti.

Messi said: "He is showing he's among the best. Barcelona really wanted to have him. Today it is the reverse situation, I am coming to PSG. He's an incredible person and an incredible player, he is a phenomenon and spectacular. Not only Verratti, the entire dressing room, they are the best players in the world in all positions. I hope I can bring my parts to achieve the goals of PSG and my person goals."

"Yes, that is true," said Messi.

"The only thing I told Leonardo is that I hoped my family would be at ease in Paris. For me it is a new experience but I am really ready for that. I really want to do it. At the end of the day it is football, and football is the same in the whole world. I have friends here and that makes things easier. I am sure I will get used to my team-mates and I am really really happy. I really want to train and have contacts with my team-mates and know all of them. I really want to train. I am sure we will enjoy this place."

Al-Khelaifi is confident of the positive impact Messi's signing will have on the entirety of Ligue 1.

"I always work with all the teams and I think we will work with Ligue 1, which will grow because of this. I hope the broadcasting rights will be higher because of that. I am thinking of all the parts. I think now everybody wants to see PSG games. It's going to be positive for all the rest of the clubs. I really want to thank the presidents who sent me messages or called me, because they wanted to talk about the arrival of Leo. I think that everybody knows we are not only working for our club but also for Ligue 1."

Prior to signing for PSG, Messi spoke with fellow Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino who helped play a part in Messi's decision to sign for PSG.

"The whole dressing room and technical staff had an influence on my decision. When we saw it was possible, the first thing we did was talk to them and Pochettino, because we knew each other for a long time. Because we are both Argentinian it is easy because we are close. We talked. It has been very easy since the beginning. All the squad and staff made a lot to help me choose this club."

Al-Khelaifi was prepared for a question on Financial Fair Play and how PSG are able to sign Messi without breaking regulations.

The PSG president said: "I was waiting for this question. For us, always, as we said, we follow the FFP regulation from day one that we started. We will always fulfill the regulation. We always look at things with our commercial people and our financial people, we saw we had the capacity to sign him. If not, we wouldn't have signed him.

"What Leo will bring to the club, that is huge. That's what you as media need to focus on, not just the negative side but also the positive, in terms of commercial, in terms of social media, the club being increased, every single part of the club, in three days. Later we will give you some numbers and you will be shocked. I hope Leo will not ask for more salary, but always we will fulfill the financial fair play regulation."

Watching Messi's farewell press conference for Camp Nou was heartbreaking. Messi, however, is remaining positive about his transfer and his future with PSG.

"Of course it was very complicated to exit Barcelona without knowing where I wanted to go. Barcelona is my home, I've been there since I was a kid. I have lived both good and bad there. I knew I was going to arrive in a very strong team, and a team that was aiming to win the Champions League. I love to win and I have important goals. I know my goals and PSG's goals are the same, we want to be bigger and bigger. I don't know if we will face Barcelona. It would be very nice to go back to Barcelona, I hope it would be with the fans when possible because of the pandemic. It would be very strange to play at home in Barcelona with another shirt but it can happen. We'll see."

Messi had nothing but nice things to say about Ligue 1 when asked about the extent of his French football knowledge.

"I have been following this. I have friends and I know Ligue 1 because of my friends in Paris, I was following their games in Paris. I think this championship has been growing a lot. Paris has worked a lot for Ligue 1 growing up, because of the transfers and so on. I think the league is more competitive and the teams are growing stronger, because they want to win against Paris and win Ligue 1. I will have new rivals and new stadiums and I am very happy to experience this new atmosphere."

It's hard not to be happy that good friends Neymar and Messi have been reunited and will play together for the first time in four years.

"Of course I have some friends here in the dressing room. When you see the squad you really want to play with them because there are so many possibilities to get what you want. We've got the same goals, when we were not together, we had the same goal and now we are together with Neymar and the rest of the team, I hope we can make it. Di Maria, Paredes, I know all the players in the dressing room actually. Neymar did a lot and was important in my decision."

When asked if Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to win the Champions League CEO Al-Khelaifi didn't want to get ahead of himself.

"I think our team are very good but we've never won the Champions League. I think we need to win each game. Last year was very complicated. It's not easy. We're focused and we take it one step at a time. We don't hide our goal or our objective. We focus on Ligue 1 and after September 15 we think about the Champions League. It is easy to say we are favourites but we need to remain quiet and work."

It seems weird asking one of the best players in the world what he thinks he can bring to PSG. Perhaps it would be quicker to ask what he wouldn't bring to Paris.

Messi said: "I think this team is already done and ready. There are some new transfers but they have been close to win the Champions League. they are ready. I have just come to give my best. My goal and my dream is to win again this trophy. I think Paris is the best place to win it again."

The Champions League trophy will be the aim for Messi and PSG. Speaking from his experience, luck must be considered.

"It's not easy. Sometimes the best team in the world doesn't win the Champions League. This is football. Paris have been so close to a victory in the Champions League, they didn't make it but it was close. In this competition, the best teams in the world are playing. You need a united dressing room. This dressing room, from what you can see outside, is very united, but you also need the luck. You can also chase the luck. In the Champions League, not always the best team wins. It's a very special competition and that's why it is so beautiful and so important, because they all want to win."