<p>Lionel Messi said he wants to "build something special" at Paris Saint-Germain before being unveiled as a Parisian player on Wednesday.</p>.<p>On Tuesday, the 34-year-old signed a two-year deal with PSG with the option of an additional year.</p>.<p>Messi, who will wear the number 30 in Paris, the number he had when he began his professional career at Barca, will be unveiled by PSG at a press conference at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday.</p>.<p>"I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain," he said in a statement on the club's website.</p>.<p>"Everything about the club matches my football ambitions," Messi, who was given a hero's welcome by the PSG fans when he arrived in the French capital on Tuesday, added.</p>.<p>"I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here.</p>.<p>"I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes."</p>.<p>Messi, who was a free agent after his shock departure from boyhood club Barcelona last week, landed at Le Bourget airport to the north of Paris on Tuesday afternoon.</p>.<p>There he was greeted by hundreds of PSG supporters who had gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of their new signing.</p>.<p>Those fans also gathered outside the club's Parc des Princes home and near a plush hotel in the city where Messi along with wife Antonella and their three children are expected to be staying.</p>.<p>Messi waved to crowds while sporting a Paris t-shirt on his arrival at the airport before being taken for his medical.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/football/ronaldinho-wishes-messi-many-moments-of-joy-after-psg-move-1018461.html" target="_blank">Ronaldinho wishes Messi 'many moments of joy' after PSG move</a></strong></p>.<p>Messi's father Jorge, who is also his agent, had earlier confirmed the inevitable as he arrived at Barcelona's El Prat airport to board a flight to France.</p>.<p>Asked by reporters if his son would sign for the French club, he replied: "Yes."</p>.<p>The completion of his move closes a whirlwind few days following the announcement last Thursday that he would leave Barcelona, the club he has represented for the entirety of his 17-year professional career.</p>.<p>PSG's move for Messi had been an open secret for days, although reports in Spain on Monday night talked of a "final offer" by Barcelona to try to keep the player.</p>.<p>Instead, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will join a PSG attack already featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.</p>.<p>Qatar-backed PSG see Messi as the missing piece in their jigsaw as they chase the Champions League, the trophy they want more than anything else.</p>.<p>"Back together," Neymar, who played with Messi at Barcelona before moving to PSG in 2017, posted on Twitter.</p>.<p>Barcelona are still coming to terms with the departure of their greatest ever player, who said goodbye to his club of two decades at a tearful news conference on Sunday.</p>.<p>Despite offering to cut his salary by half to seal a new five-year contract with the Catalans, the deal foundered on Spanish league salary cap rules.</p>.<p>Barcelona, carrying debts of 1.2 billion euros ($1.41 billion), are unable to register new signings because of their financial predicament.</p>.<p>With Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City having ruled themselves out, PSG were about the only club that could afford what is expected to be a deal worth 35 million euros a year.</p>.<p>He leaves Barcelona with 672 goals in 778 appearances, a record tally for one club.</p>.<p>Messi won 35 trophies at the Camp Nou after joining Barca aged 13, but his last appearance was a damp squib: a 2-1 home defeat behind closed doors against Celta Vigo in May.</p>.<p>His trophy haul includes four Champions Leagues and 10 La Liga titles.</p>.<p>"Firstly, I'm a little sad for him. He wanted to stay at Barcelona," former teammate Cesc Fabregas said late on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"I'm from Barcelona and you know it's going to be difficult to watch Barca without Leo," he added.</p>.<p>This summer PSG have already added veteran Spanish defender Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the star of Euro 2020.</p>.<p>They have also signed Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool, snatching the Netherlands' midfielder from under the noses of Barcelona, and spent 60 million euros on Inter Milan right-back Achraf Hakimi, who scored on his PSG league debut at the weekend.</p>.<p>Messi could be unveiled to supporters on Saturday, when PSG host Strasbourg and a full house of nearly 48,000 will be allowed in for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic struck 18 months ago.</p>.<p>However, he is unlikely to make his debut until later this month at the earliest.</p>
<p>Lionel Messi said he wants to "build something special" at Paris Saint-Germain before being unveiled as a Parisian player on Wednesday.</p>.<p>On Tuesday, the 34-year-old signed a two-year deal with PSG with the option of an additional year.</p>.<p>Messi, who will wear the number 30 in Paris, the number he had when he began his professional career at Barca, will be unveiled by PSG at a press conference at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday.</p>.<p>"I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain," he said in a statement on the club's website.</p>.<p>"Everything about the club matches my football ambitions," Messi, who was given a hero's welcome by the PSG fans when he arrived in the French capital on Tuesday, added.</p>.<p>"I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here.</p>.<p>"I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes."</p>.<p>Messi, who was a free agent after his shock departure from boyhood club Barcelona last week, landed at Le Bourget airport to the north of Paris on Tuesday afternoon.</p>.<p>There he was greeted by hundreds of PSG supporters who had gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of their new signing.</p>.<p>Those fans also gathered outside the club's Parc des Princes home and near a plush hotel in the city where Messi along with wife Antonella and their three children are expected to be staying.</p>.<p>Messi waved to crowds while sporting a Paris t-shirt on his arrival at the airport before being taken for his medical.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/football/ronaldinho-wishes-messi-many-moments-of-joy-after-psg-move-1018461.html" target="_blank">Ronaldinho wishes Messi 'many moments of joy' after PSG move</a></strong></p>.<p>Messi's father Jorge, who is also his agent, had earlier confirmed the inevitable as he arrived at Barcelona's El Prat airport to board a flight to France.</p>.<p>Asked by reporters if his son would sign for the French club, he replied: "Yes."</p>.<p>The completion of his move closes a whirlwind few days following the announcement last Thursday that he would leave Barcelona, the club he has represented for the entirety of his 17-year professional career.</p>.<p>PSG's move for Messi had been an open secret for days, although reports in Spain on Monday night talked of a "final offer" by Barcelona to try to keep the player.</p>.<p>Instead, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will join a PSG attack already featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.</p>.<p>Qatar-backed PSG see Messi as the missing piece in their jigsaw as they chase the Champions League, the trophy they want more than anything else.</p>.<p>"Back together," Neymar, who played with Messi at Barcelona before moving to PSG in 2017, posted on Twitter.</p>.<p>Barcelona are still coming to terms with the departure of their greatest ever player, who said goodbye to his club of two decades at a tearful news conference on Sunday.</p>.<p>Despite offering to cut his salary by half to seal a new five-year contract with the Catalans, the deal foundered on Spanish league salary cap rules.</p>.<p>Barcelona, carrying debts of 1.2 billion euros ($1.41 billion), are unable to register new signings because of their financial predicament.</p>.<p>With Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City having ruled themselves out, PSG were about the only club that could afford what is expected to be a deal worth 35 million euros a year.</p>.<p>He leaves Barcelona with 672 goals in 778 appearances, a record tally for one club.</p>.<p>Messi won 35 trophies at the Camp Nou after joining Barca aged 13, but his last appearance was a damp squib: a 2-1 home defeat behind closed doors against Celta Vigo in May.</p>.<p>His trophy haul includes four Champions Leagues and 10 La Liga titles.</p>.<p>"Firstly, I'm a little sad for him. He wanted to stay at Barcelona," former teammate Cesc Fabregas said late on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"I'm from Barcelona and you know it's going to be difficult to watch Barca without Leo," he added.</p>.<p>This summer PSG have already added veteran Spanish defender Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the star of Euro 2020.</p>.<p>They have also signed Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool, snatching the Netherlands' midfielder from under the noses of Barcelona, and spent 60 million euros on Inter Milan right-back Achraf Hakimi, who scored on his PSG league debut at the weekend.</p>.<p>Messi could be unveiled to supporters on Saturday, when PSG host Strasbourg and a full house of nearly 48,000 will be allowed in for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic struck 18 months ago.</p>.<p>However, he is unlikely to make his debut until later this month at the earliest.</p>