Paris: Lionel Messi came on as a substitute to make his Paris Saint-Germain debut on but Kylian Mbappe stole the show by scoring both goals in a 2-0 win against Reims in Ligue 1.
Messi, wearing the number 30 jersey, came off the bench in the 66th minute to replace Neymar at the Stade Auguste-Delaune, where fans in the sell-out 21,000 crowd had earlier chanted his name as he emerged to warm up.
The Argentine had not played since arriving in Paris from Barcelona almost three weeks ago, his last appearance in any game dating back to the Copa America final on July 11, when he led his country to victory against Brazil.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner will have to wait for his first goal with his new club, and his first start, which could come when PSG host Clermont in their next match on September 11.
I’m very happy that he made his debut. It was very important for him, PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino told broadcaster Amazon Prime after Messi’s low-key first appearance in a PSG shirt.