Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi reached Paris on Tuesday to finalise his transfer to Paris Saint Germain, welcomed by fans.
Messi, the 34-year-old record goalscorer for both Argentina and Barcelona and one of the greatest players of all time, touched down at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital on Tuesday evening (Bangladesh time), a Reuters report says.
Crowds of PSG supporters had gathered at the airport and chanted out "Messi! Messi!" to welcome the player, according to reporters at the scene and the Flightradar24 website.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner, wept on Sunday as he bade farewell to his boyhood team, after the club said it could no longer afford to keep him, blaming La Liga's fair play rules.
According to goal.com, Messi will sign a two-year contract with PSG, which has the option of a further 12 months.
How much will Messi earn at PSG?
It is expected that Messi will receive in the region of €30 million-35 million (£25m-30m/$35m-$41m) per season during his time at PSG, while there will also be team and individual bonuses.
Did Messi have any other offers?
Messi did receive offers from two other clubs, but PSG was always the option that he liked the most.
Reports have claimed that Atletico Madrid were one of the clubs to make an approach, while he was also linked with the likes of Manchester City and Inter.
What has Messi said on the PSG move?
Messi has not yet confirmed that he will move to PSG.
Speaking on Sunday, he stated: “Paris Saint-Germain is a possibility, yes.
“At the moment nothing is confirmed, I received a lot of calls after the Barcelona statement. We’re talking about it.”
Nevertheless, everything appears to be in place for Messi to join the Ligue 1 side, following stars such as Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum in making their way to Parc des Princes this summer.
The PSG frontline is already formidable, with Messi's former Barca teammate Neymar and young France striker Kylian Mbappe seen as two of the best players on the planet.
But the arrival of Messi, Barca's all-time record goalscorer with 682 in 27 years, will boost the club's ambitions to win a first-ever Champions League.
The arrival of Messi, who has 245 million followers on Instagram and is Barcelona's most decorated player of all time, is also welcome news for France's Ligue 1, embroiled in a crisis over TV rights.
