Lionel Messi “really wanted it”, and everyone with him

At the Parc des Princes,

The roar of the Park must have been heard as far as Boulogne, on the other side of the outskirts. In any case, from the inside, the furious madness that seized the stands after the lulu of Lionel Messi resonated in our ears for long minutes, accompanying the feeling of having lived a moment apart. Because that’s what it’s all about. The Argentinian scored Tuesday night in the victory against City the first goal of a new adventure which it is still difficult to say that it is real, far from Barcelona, ​​under the colors of PSG.

For this great first, the six-fold Golden Ball saw the big picture. Obviously. A strike from the left wound in the skylight – with the complicity of Mbappé, author of a delivery as silky as it was effective -, to seal an important victory against a title contender trained by his former mentor, it was difficult to imagine better. His rage and his joy at celebrating spoke volumes, like his smile when he stopped at Canal’s microphone after the final whistle.

I’m very happy that we won and scored. I really wanted to, I haven’t played a lot recently, only one match here at the Park, I’m slowly adapting to my new team, to my teammates. “

So much for Leo’s words, which had been scarce since his arrival in Paris. Proof of the importance of this goal, which absolutely everyone expected, in fact. Even Mauricio Pochettino, usually placid when his team scores, has broken his personal rules. “Yes, that one, I celebrated it, admits the Parisian coach. Usually no, I keep everything inside. But I spent years watching him put it full from the bench opposite, so for once I was on the right bench I could do it, right? “

But yes Mauricio, he would miss more that you apologize. This goal is the best thing that could have happened to PSG. Because everything will fit together much more easily with a happy Messi, and that, his compatriot knows it. “He feels different things here compared to Barcelona, ​​that’s normal. So i’m happy tonight [mardi], recognizes Pochettino. He is a top class player, there is nothing new about it. And with time it will get even better. “

Pep Guardiola, for his part, did not even pretend to be disappointed to have seen this. The force of habit, perhaps. His former protégé loves to remind him how much he is an exceptional player. Since they left, this is the seventh time in five games that he has done it. Not a player has made the Catalan suffer so much in the Champions League.

“You can’t contain Leo for 90 minutes. He did not have the ball much, he is coming back from injury and he needs rhythm, but when he is in contact with the ball, he is hard to stop, we know, notes Guardiola. We tried to reduce its influence, and we defended it pretty well. As usual, Pep the genius has said it all. Still far from his best form, the Argentinian only weighed a little on the debates and lost many balls. But one was enough to ignite the fuse. “I wish him the best. He brought me a lot of happiness at one time, if he is happy in Paris, it’s perfect, ”adds the double winner of the C1 on the Barça bench, with visibly unfeigned sincerity.

“We must all grow up together”

This game won’t solve everything but it can speed things up a bit. “We are all very happy for him. He’s a fantastic player, a real phenomenon. I hope he started his season, ”says Kimpembe. From this point of view, his agreement with the other two fighter jets in the Paris attack also showed some signs of improvement, beyond the decisive surrender of Mbappé. There were still too many lost balls and a few forgotten passes, but the hug between the three men after the Argentinian’s realization did not go unnoticed.

“The more we play together, the better. We must all grow together, increase our level of play, believes the Pulga. We played well, we must continue to give our best. “Facing City, he showed the way, anyway.