Chronicle Editor
Lionel Messi officially made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, with an ex-Orlando Pirates star seemingly attempting to do a man-marking job on the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The 34-year-old came off the bench in his side’s 2-0 victory over Reims in Ligue 1 late on Sunday evening, replacing Brazilian superstar Neymar in the 66th minute.
With the French giants two goals ahead when he was introduced, Messi seemed to want to get a feel for manager Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play, although it was not made easy for him.
From the minute he entered the field, Barcelona’s former captain was hounded by Zimbabwe international Marshall Munetsi, who won 10 duels throughout the course of the match and made 11 recoveries, according to FotMob.
Munetsi (25), also thought he had scored in the 51st minute of the clash, but his headed goal was ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee.
Messi, meanwhile, completed 20 passes in the 24 minutes he spent on the pitch and won three fouls.
Speaking after the game, Pochettino said that PSG fans can expect the Argentine to be at his sharpest after the coming international break.
“He’s been good,” Pochettino told Amazon Prime after the game.
“I’m very happy to see him make his debut. It was important for him.
“He is far from his best form, but he is training very well. He will be better after the [international] break. We expect the best from him.” – Soccer Laduma
Online Reporter