Messi sets sights on Champions League 'dream' as Paris goes crazy for new hero

PSG fans gathered in large numbers outside the Parc des Princes hoping to catch a glimpse of Messi

Lionel Messi set his sights on more Champions League glory after being unveiled as a Paris Saint-Germain player on Wednesday as hundreds of fans gathered outside the club's stadium hoping to see their new idol.

The 34-year-old Argentinian superstar was presented to media from all over the world at a news conference at the Parc des Princes after arriving in the French capital the previous day and penning a two-year contract with the option of a third season.

"I have said many times that my dream is to win another Champions League and I think I am in the ideal place to have that chance and to do it," Messi told reporters inside a packed auditorium, with the audience including his wife Antonella, their children, and his father and agent, Jorge.

"Sometimes you can have the best team in the world and not win. That's football," Messi, who won 35 trophies in total with Barca, added as he prepares to team up with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in Paris.

- Messi-mania -

Messi was given a hero's welcome when he arrived in Paris on Tuesday, greeting supporters at the airport and then waving from the balcony of the plush hotel where he is staying near the Champs Elysees.

Unlike when Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed for PSG in 2012 there was no glitzy unveiling in front of the Eiffel Tower, but Messi was photographed on the pitch before greeting the supporters who had waited at the stadium entrance, watching his press conference on a big screen.

"They don't know about everything Messi has done in his career but I hope they will remember this for a long time because Messi coming to PSG is crazy stuff."

Messi made no secret of his sadness at leaving Barca, the only club he has so far represented in his 17-year professional career, as he gave a tearful news conference at the Camp Nou last weekend.

However on Wednesday he said he was looking forward to getting started in his new home.

"Now I can't wait to start training."

He is therefore unlikely to make his debut for PSG soon, and certainly not this weekend when Mauricio Pochettino's team play Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

However, despite concerns about a lack of competitive balance, French League president Vincent Labrune hailed the arrival of the six-time Ballon d'Or winner as "extraordinary news for the exposure of Ligue 1 internationally".

Attention, though, will turn to the future of 22-year-old Mbappe, who has just a year left on his contract and has been strongly linked to Real Madrid.

"Now there's no-one more competitive than us. He has no reason to do anything else," other than stay.

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