Ligue 1 gets a lot of shit these days. As the fifth-best league in Europe, it’s often derided as a “farmer’s league” by the snobbier football fans. Anyone who has actually paid attention to Ligue 1 over the last few years knows this isn’t the case. With the addition of Lionel Messi to the league now official, here are five reasons you should watch Ligue 1 not named Messi.
París es una locura. Después de cerrar su legendario capítulo junto al Barcelona, Lionel Messi viajó a la capital francesa para sellar su fichaje con el PSG. El argentino llegó al aeropuerto Le Bourget junto a su familia y fue recibido por miles de fanáticos que encendían bengalas y coreaban su apellido. El astro argentino se asomó por unas de las ventanas del terminal aéreo, llevando una camiseta blanca con la leyenda “Ici c’est Paris” (Aquí es París), lema del club francés.
Lionel Messi waved to the Parisian crowds on Tuesday after the news officially broke that he will be joining Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal with an option for a third. Messi landed at Le Bourget airport to finalize the greatest transfer in European soccer history. For those asking, “what did Messi’s shirt say?” his t-shirt read: This is Paris.
Messi waving to fans from Paris @ESPNFC
BARCELONA/PARIS - Barcelona fans gathered outside Lionel Messi's house on Monday and spoke of their sadness at the club's greatest player leaving after 21 years, while Paris Saint-Germain fans eagerly awaited his arrival in the French capital.
One Barça member filed complaints with a French court and with the European Commission to try to block any move by PSG to sign Messi, according to documents seen by Reuters on Monday.
BARCELONA — From posing for selfies to enjoying seafront meals and taking his children to bouncy castles, Lionel Messi's down-to-earth existence won him the admiration of many locals in his longtime hometown Barcelona.
Messi bade a tearful farewell to FC Barcelona on Sunday, preparing to find a new life away from the Castelldefels suburb where he lived a peaceful, homely existence.
BARCELONA — Lionel Messi wept on Sunday as he bade farewell to his boyhood team FC Barcelona and confirmed he was talking with French club Paris St. Germain over a possible move.
The 34-year-old Argentine's emotional news conference followed Barca's announcement last week that it could no longer afford him after a glittering two decades.
No lo voy a negar, el discurso de despedida de Leo Messi del Barcelona me tocó una fibra. No al nivel del adiós de Marcelo Bielsa a la selección chilena, pero una pena moderada como fanático del fútbol, lo más importante dentro de las cosas menos importantes.
Hay -o quiero creer que hay- algo profundamente triste en su poco ceremoniosa salida, gatillada supuestamente por las normativas de fair play financiero de LaLiga, sin la oportunidad de despedirse a estadio lleno, con una ovación acorde al legado que construyó en sus 21 años ligado al club.
PARIS — Paris St. Germain started its Ligue 1 campaign with a comeback 2-1 win at promoted Troyes on Saturday while anticipating the arrival of six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, who appears set to join the French giant.
Messi will be holding a news conference at 10 a.m. GMT on Sunday after Barcelona said earlier this week that the 34-year-old Argentine will leave the club.
Lionel Messi is set to join Paris St Germain after Barcelona were forced to let their Argentine talisman go as they could not afford to give him a new contract under La Liga's salary limit rules, L'Equipe reported on Friday.
After a potential title chase ended up in a fifth-place finish and a change of manager, Olympique de Marseille has been remarkably active in the transfer window this summer.
Jorge Sampaoli has been backed to the tune of $52 million as Marseille has secured 10 signings thus far. This summer has been one of transition for the side from France's second city, as Valère Germain, Yuto Nagatomo and Florian Thauvin have left the club in addition to academy graduate Maxime Lopez, Kevin Strootman and Hiroki Sakai.