When will Lionel Messi make his PSG debut?

Robin Bairner

Updated: 28 Aug 2021 14:11 CDT
3 min read

Lionel Messi and Neymar, Copa America final 2021 — © ProShots

Lionel Messi signed for Paris Saint-Germain in one of the deals of the summer earlier in August, with the Argentine leaving Barcelona for the first time in his career.

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Regarded as one of the greater players of all time, his arrival at PSG is a major coup for the club - even if they are poised to lose Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid.

Messi, though, has had to be patient for his first appearance for the club. He was not included in the squads to face either Strasbourg or Troyes as he built his fitness up.

But when might fans see him?

No immediate Messi appearance

Messi arrived at the club relatively out of condition, having not played a competitive game of football since winning the Copa America final 1-0 with Argentina on 10 July.

Since then, he has holidayed in both Miami and Ibiza, enjoying a good dose of family time as he braced himself for a momentous few days in his career.

Ultimately, no deal with Barcelona could be brokered and he, therefore, finds himself in Paris.

Messi's state was similar to many of his PSG colleagues. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Marco Verratti, Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes and Neymar were all back late from their holidays following long summer tournament campaigns, and indeed they only started training again as of last Friday, 6 August.

Donnarumma, Verratti, Marquinhos and Di Maria were all involved in last weekend's game with Brest, though Messi started his pre-season at a later point than these players.

Initially, it was thought that Messi might not be available to feature until after the forthcoming international break, but it seems that he will be ready to play against Reims on 29 August, with local reports suggesting that PSG's newest star is looking sharp and fit in training.