Every thumping step that Lionel Messi takes in his career always shakes up the world of football, and when La Pulga

, donning the No. 30 shirt, made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday the circumstances were very similar.

As Messi came off the bench to replace Neymar Jr at the 66th-minute mark in the Ligue 1 match against Stade de Reims, social media was sent into a frenzy. 

One user on Twitter drew parallels between Messi debut for Barcelona 17 years ago and his debut tonight. “17 Years Apart!! Same Vibes!!” they wrote. 

For Barcelona fans, Messi’s shock and swift move to PSG has been a hard pill to swallow. One user wrote: “For the first time ever, Leo Messi on the pitch for a club that isn’t FC Barcelona as he made his debut for PSG on tonight’s game against Reims.”

Even for the neutrals, watching Messi in a jersey other than Barcelona’s will need some getting used to.

After the ball was sent out of play and the electric board signalled that the No. 30 would come in place of the No. 11, the crowd present at the stadium knew that they were set to witness history. 

Neymar embraced Messi in a hug as the six-time Balon d’Or winner stepped on the turf in a PSG jersey for the very fast time in history.

Broadcaster Piers Morgan talked about the wretched situation of the opposition on his Twitter handle. “The good news for Reims: Neymar’s off. The bad news for Reims: Messi’s on.”

After Neymar had to make way for Messi, another user quipped, “Neymar sat on bench there looking as if he’d just realised the down side of PSG signing Messi.

Meanwhile, after the final whistle, Reims players even after their 0-2 loss lined up to click pictures with La Pulga. 

Messi, after 21 years with Barcelona, left Nou Camp at the start of August as a free agent. He signed a two-year deal with PSG and was presented to supporters, along with the club’s other summer signings Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Georginio Wijnaldum, at their first home game of the season, a 4-2 win over Strasbourg.

In the game, two goals from Kylian Mbappe, who has been rumoured with a move away from the French capital, sealed a straightforward victory against the Reims side.