In a sight that would make most Barcelona fans twitch on their sofas, Lionel Messi, donning the No. 30 shirt, made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain when he came off the bench to replace Neymar Jr in the second half on Sunday.

After his grand exit from the Catalan club earlier this month, the Argentine started a brand new chapter of his career with the Parisian club when he came on at the 66th-minute mark in the Ligue 1 match against Stade de Reims.

The crowd at the Stade Auguste Delaune was already sent into a frenzy when Messi was seen warming up on the sidelines wearing the training bib.  

However, 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. The two friends exchanged a warm smile as they start yet another journey together after their exploits in Barca colour.

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. 

While many wanted Messi to make his full debut tonight, the 34-year-old hasn’t undergone a pre-season and has been training with Mauricio Pochettino’s squad to regain his fitness. 

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.