When Lionel Messi could make his Paris Saint-Germain debut

After a whirlwind few days, it has been confirmed that Lionel Messi will be signing a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

After a delay of several days, Messi finally touched down in the French capital on Tuesday with hundreds of supporters greeting him at Le Bourget airport. 

The question on everyone’s lips now is: when will Lionel Messi make his PSG debut? Here is everything we know so far. 

Why is Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona? 

When Messi’s Barcelona contract expired at the end of last season, the club were desperate to agree to an extension - despite their dire financial situation. 

It was believed that an agreement had been reached which would have involved Messi receiving 50% of his annual salary but signing a four-year, as opposed to a two-year, deal. 

However, earlier this month Barcelona confirmed that the finances of the agreement did not work, making Messi a free agent. 

Lionel Messi press conference: When will he be unveiled as a PSG player? 

Messi is expected to be officially unveiled as a PSG player on Wednesday 11 August. The club has scheduled a press conference which will kick off at 11am local time. 

It is thought that Messi will be presented to a full Parc des Princes soon after. 

When will Lionel Messi make his PSG debut? 

Ever since he was officially unveiled as a PSG player, attention has turned to when Messi will make his PSG debut. 

The situation is complicated. After returning from the Copa America he did not train with Barcelona so he could be short of sharpness. As reported by AS, Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff are planning out a personal, mini pre-season for Messi so he is raring to go when he does make his debut. 

It will take some time for Messi to get up to speed, although he was in the stands for his new side’s 4-2 win over Strasbourg on Saturday 14 August.

Initially it had been feared that Messi’s first PSG game would not be until Sunday 12 September against Clermont Foot. However, since then it has been reported that he should be ready for PSG's last match before the international break.

That is a Ligue 1 meeting with Reims on Sunday 29 August. It’s not exactly the most glamorous of fixtures but the Parc de Princes will be rocking regardless. 

Key dates for Lionel Messi at PSG

On 31 October, PSG host Lille, who beat them to the Ligue 1 title last season and also defeated them in the Trophee de Champions. 

As for Messi’s first Champions League game for PSG, that should happen on either 14 or 15 September. PSG will find out who they have in their group on Thursday 26 August. 

To get your hands on a Paris Saint-Germain kit, visit Kitbag!