Messi hopes for 'a great year'

PARIS • Lionel Messi got a first proper taste of his new home on Saturday as he was presented to a full stadium of Paris Saint-Germain fans before watching his teammates beat Strasbourg 4-2 in Ligue 1 with Kylian Mbappe playing a starring role.

The former Barcelona skipper received a rapturous reception as he ran out onto the Parc des Princes pitch along with the club's other summer signings.

A 48,000-strong crowd greeted the six-time Ballon d'Or winner despite the welcome ceremony taking place an hour before kick-off.

Messi, who was not deemed fit enough to play owing to his lack of a pre-season, joined fellow recruits Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi on a stage set up on the turf, with the flashy presentation ceremony threatening to overshadow the match itself.

Among the VIPs were Formula One driver Pierre Gasly, French Olympic gold medallist in mixed team judo Teddy Riner, and National Basketball Association star Evan Fournier, who led France to the silver medal at the Tokyo Games.

On the pyrotechnics and banners greeting the leader of PSG's new band of galacticos, the Argentina forward said: "It has been a very special week for me. I want to thank everyone for the reception since I arrived in Paris. It has been truly incredible. I feel very happy and excited.

"I hope together we can enjoy this year and make it a great year for us. I am very excited about everything."

Ramos agreed, adding: "It's a huge day for me. We have a team capable of winning all the trophies on offer."

Only Wijnaldum and Hakimi started, with Messi watching from the stands alongside Neymar, Angel di Maria, Donnarumma and Ramos, but such is PSG's strength in depth that they did not need the quintet to make it two wins from as many Ligue 1 matches this season.

They led 3-0 at half-time, thanks to strikes by Mauro Icardi and Julian Draxler either side of an Mbappe goal.

Despite Strasbourg's fightback through goals by Kevin Gameiro and Ludovic Ajorque, Pablo Sarabia made sure of the victory late on, with Mbappe having a hand in three of the goals.

Goals scored in the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain's three forwards - Lionel Messi (120), Neymar (41) and Kylian Mbappe (27).

The only dampener of the night was the apparent changing of the guard.

While Messi is now the new idol of the PSG supporters, those same fans jeered when Mbappe's name was read out by the stadium announcer ahead of kick-off.

The France striker is in the spotlight with speculation that he will seek a move away from PSG before the transfer window shuts - he has so far refused to extend his contract, which expires at the end of the campaign.

On the boos, PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino claimed ignorance, saying: "I did not hear the whistles. I am happy with him. He's focused on what he needs to do and had a really good game. He must continue on this path."

However, with the La Liga window closing only on Aug 31, speculation is increasing over Mbappe as PSG do not want to lose him on a free transfer. According to Le Parisien daily, Real Madrid hope to sell Martin Odegaard to Arsenal for £30 million (S$56.4 million) in order to fund an initial £100 million bid for Mbappe.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, XINHUA