(CNN)Lionel Messi made his highly-anticipated Paris Saint-Germain debut connected Sunday, coming connected arsenic a 2nd fractional substitute for aged person Neymar successful the team's 2-0 Ligue 1 triumph implicit Reims.
However, it was Kylian Mbappé who stole the amusement connected Messi's peculiar night, scoring some goals to proceed PSG's cleanable commencement to the season.
The French star's aboriginal has been the taxable of aggravated scrutiny successful caller weeks, with Real Madrid reportedly submitting 2 abstracted bids successful excess of $180 cardinal to effort and prize the 22-year-old distant from Paris.
Both offers person reportedly been rejected by PSG, though nine sporting manager Leonardo admitted past week that Mbappé wants to leave.
"Our president and Leonardo are precise clear: helium is present with us," caput manager Mauricio Pochettino said aft Sunday's game. "I americium precise blessed to person him. He is simply a gift."
Having not played since the Copa América last successful July, Messi missed the archetypal 2 matches since joining PSG arsenic helium gradually works his mode backmost up to afloat fitness.
It took 66 minutes for Pochettino to present him against Reims, sending the contingent of traveling PSG fans chaotic erstwhile Messi did yet measurement onto the transportation successful a garment different than that of Barcelona for the archetypal clip successful his career.
There were little flashes of the brilliance fans person go accustomed to erstwhile watching Messi implicit the years, but it whitethorn instrumentality a small clip earlier helium is up to velocity and singing from the aforesaid hymn expanse arsenic his teammates.
"It's hard astatine the infinitesimal due to the fact that our players are each astatine antithetic levels of fitness," Pochettino told reports aft the match. "He [Messi] was precise bully from the infinitesimal helium entered the pitch.
"Every clip helium touched the ball, helium dispersed calm passim the team. It's important adjacent for Lionel Messi to triumph connected his debut.
"He tin radiate an optimism and vigor that everyone tin consciousness and that tin person a affirmative power connected the different players."
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