Lionel Messi says he’s "still processing" Barcelona heartbreak in PSG unveiling
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Lionel Messi has been officially unveiled as a Paris Saint-Germain player following his exit from Barcelona.
Messi arrived in the French capital on Tuesday evening to complete the deal which was confirmed last night.
The 34-year-old has signed a two-year contract worth £25m per year after tax, plus bonuses – with the option of a third year.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Messi revealed his excitement at the move and the chance to play alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
He said: "It's crazy and I'm happy about that.
"Sharing day to day life with them. Really there are some amazing transfers so the team is incredible. I want to train and compete.
"I'm going to be playing with the best players. It's very nice.
"I was on holiday and it's very new. I spoke yesterday with technical staff so maybe I need a pre season myself.
"I'm going to train and work. I really want to.
"Everything that happened to me has been very strange, hard and quick and emotional.
"I can't forget what I lived and experienced in Barcelona but I really feel impatient and happy. We are processing all of this, little by little."
Messi also revealed that Neymar was a key factor in his decision to move to PSG.
Can Neymar and Messi fire PSG to Champions League success this season? Let us know in the comments section.
He added: "Neymar did a lot and was important in my decision."
The Argentine has been impressed by the reaction of the club's fans, a large group of whom gathered outside the stadium while Messi was giving his press conference.
"I’m very grateful – grateful to the people in the street," he said.
"I was in Barcelona when the press told me about that. I’ve seen things from Spain and the people were already outside in Paris and it was incredible to see them outside in the streets.
"I am grateful and want to thank them and now I really want to see them in the city in the stadium. It will be an incredible year and we are going to enjoy this."
Looking ahead to the future, Messi says that his main objective at PSG is to help the club win the Champions League.
“My goal and my dream is to win the Champions League once more," he continued.
"I think that we have the team to do it here.”
Messi will wear the No. 30 shirt during his time at Parc des Princes after reportedly turning down the chance to wear the No. 10.
Shirts bearing Messi's name and number went on sale when the deal was confirmed but sold out within 20 minutes.
A deal for PSG to sign Messi didn't seem possible until last week when Barcelona announced he would be leaving the club.
In a club statement, the Spanish giants cited "Spanish LaLiga regulations on player registration" as the reason behind his exit.
Messi fought back tears as he appeared at a press conference to explain his departure from the club on Sunday morning.
Asked whether it was the hardest moment of his career, he told reporters: "No doubt, this is the hardest moment.
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"We had hurtful defeats but football gives you a chance to avenge that. But there is no turning point to this."
"I feel very sad now as I have to leave a club that I love. I did not expect this. I always told the truth.
"Last year I wanted to leave, this year I did not want to leave."
But leave he did, and Barcelona's loss was PSG's gain as the Ligue 1 club sprung into action to seal a move for the Argentine.
Get your hands on your club's special edition 2021/22 annual. Find out more here.
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