We found the PSG of the great evenings and the Messi that we love so much. This Tuesday evening, the Argentinian tightrope walker gave the Parc des Princes his first jewel. The apotheosis of a very successful evening for the capital club, which beats Manchester City, a great European and incidentally executioner of last season, and sees its planetary star take off.
Return on Messi’s performance in eight images.
1. After ten days of rest, due toa blow received against Lyon, Messi is back in the squad. Better, it starts on the lawn of the Parc des Princes for this European shock against Manchester City. Here, all smiles warming up alongside Marco Verratti, the other surprise guest of Pochettino’s eleven.
2. 8th minute, Gana Gueye opens the scoring on a skylight missile. Messi is the first to congratulate him, along with Nuno Mendes.
3. From an individual point of view, the first half turned out to be quite disappointing. The Argentine is available but touches few balls (only 27 is the lowest total of the team).
4. The recovery is not more encouraging. PSG totally leaves the ball to the Citizens, nothing to highlight the technical finesse and the vision of the game of the Argentine.
5. And then the Park capsized… The 74th minute of this PSG-City will forever be that of the first goal of the Pulga under its new colors. The 673rd of his club career, after the 672 registered with Barça. Messi concludes a silky one-two with Mbappé with a perfect flat foot under the bar. The station wagon is done.
6. All his partners come to congratulate him. Here, Mbappé under the gaze of his friend Neymar.
7. Once the euphoria subsides, here is the pixie on the ground. Would Messi be injured? No, he is simply at work in the Parisian wall to counter a potential shot on the ground from Riyad Mahrez. Sacrilege, will say some observers judging the hallucinating image, like the former English defender Rio Ferdinand. “A lack of respect” for the six-fold Ballon d’Or, the consultant had fun on Twitter. Even Neymar – who then laughed at him on Instagram – and Ander Herrera seemed surprised by this fashionable defensive move. Important reminder, it had already been done by Mbappé a little earlier in the game.
8. This victory against the Citizens and this first goal from Messi was an opportunity to commune with the Parc des Princes. And also, even if all was not perfect, to glimpse the potential of the offensive trident.
8. The lawn party continued in the locker rooms. Neymar published a few minutes after the final whistle a snapshot of the three Galactics all smiles. The “photo of peace”, ironically the Spanish daily As.