Soccer | Ligue 1
Al-Khelaïfi gives extra hug to Messi after first PSG goal
Messi scored his first goal for PSG since signing with the team and it's clear that president Al-Khelaïfi is quite pleased with the Argentine player.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nassida Al-Khelaïfi seemed pleased after his team beat Manchester City 2-0 Tuesday night in the Champions League. Who could blame him? He went around the locker room giving hugs out to the players, and stayed for a double hug to congratulate Messi, who scored his first goal for the club since his signing.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also praised the player after the game, saying that Messi is "unstoppable". Guardiola coached Messi during their time in Barcelona. "We dealt with PSG first of all, but we know it's impossible to control Messi for 90 minutes," he said. Messi also helped maintain the victory by lying down behind a defensive wall during a freekick, surprising City's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Messi's first three games with PSG were underwhelming. He was coming off an injury and no preseason training, as well as joining a new team for the first time in two decades after leaving Barcelona. But on Tuesday, he looked to be back to the Messi we know and with just 15 minutes left in the game, he scored the second goal of the night using his left foot trademark to give PSG the 2-0 lead to victory. The goal was his 121st in the Champions Leage and his 27th in 35 appearances against English teams in the Champions League.
"I'm adapting to my new team," Messi said. "The more we forwards play together, the better our relationship will be."