Paris
Saint-Germain beat Reims 2-0 riding on a brace by Kylian Mbappe, as Lionel
Messi finally kick-started his career in the Ligue 1 on Sunday.

PSG have
now won all of their four games in the league so far this season as Mauricio Pochettino’s
boys try to reclaim the league title they narrowly lost to Lille last season.

Mbappe, who has been in the spotlight recently for his desire to leave PSG for Real Madrid, shrugged off any pressure he must have felt from the fans as he scored both goals for the French giants in either half of the game.

The world cup winner opened the scoring in the 16th minute for PSG as he headed in Angel Di Maria’s cross and then went on to seal the victory when he found the net again in the 63rd minute, turning in a cross by Achraf Hakimi for his 135th goal since joining the club in 2017 from AS Monaco.

It remains to be seen whether it’s his last for PSG, which has started the season with four straight wins and has 12 points.

Messi then came
on in the 66th minute when he replaced his friend and former Barcelona teammate
Neymar. They shared a hug.

After years
of glory for Messi at the 99,000-capacity Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, the
record six-time Ballon d’Or winner and four-time Champions League victor made
his first PSG appearance at the modest 20,000-seater Stade Auguste Delaune.

 Pochettino was touched by the reception for Messi, pointing out that supporters of both teams were delighted to see him play.

“The welcome he got was something beautiful to see and hear, on the part of our fans but also the Reims fans,” Pochettino said. “Messi was very happy about it. His presence generates more enthusiasm, everyone can feel it and it has an effect on the other players.”

Before the match, hundreds of fans gathered for a glimpse of Messi as he descended the team bus and he waved back at them.

(With AP inputs)