It has now been seven days since Lionel Messi officially signed for Paris Saint-Germain – and attention has now turned to when he could make his debut for the club.
The 34-year-old was announced by the club last Tuesday, before taking part in an introductory press conference the following morning.
On Saturday, he was presented to the Parc des Princes crowd before their Ligue 1 clash with Strasbourg. Messi was alongside fellow new signings Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Georginio Wijnaldum.
Only Wijnaldum and Hakimi featured in the resulting 4-2 win.
Messi was on international duty in the latter stages of the Copa America in the summer.
The Argentinian therefore hasn’t had a full pre-season. As of Monday, had only trained three times with the French giants.
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino said prior to the Strasbourg clash: “We will take it step-by-step, get to know each other and have him feel fit and comfortable so that he is able to make his debut when he is fully fit.”
Here’s when Messi could make his PSG debut:
August 20 – Brest v Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1)
Messi could potentially make his debut on Friday evening when PSG travel to Brest.
By then, he will have spent 10 days at his new club, with his first training session having taken place last Wednesday.
That would perhaps make this date the least likely for a potential debut.
August 29 – Reims v Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1)
According to several reports, PSG’s away trip to Reims on August 29 is the most likely date for Messi to make his debut.
Sky Sports have reported that the Argentinian is expected to pull on the PSG shirt for the first time at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.
September 12 – Paris Saint-Germain v Clermont Foot (Ligue 1)
If the above date is deemed too soon, Messi could then make his first appearance for PSG against newly-promoted Clermont Foot.
There is an international break between the two matches. Argentina face three World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela, Brazil and Bolivia in the space of seven days.
The latter of those matches will be played on September 10 – just two days before PSG’s Ligue 1 clash.
September 19 – Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon (Ligue 1)
If it comes down to it, Messi could feature against Ligue 1 title rivals Lyon.
Rudi Garcia’s side were in the title fight until the last three games last season. They eventually finished seven points behind champions Lille.
It promises to be a potentially classic encounter between two top teams.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
