Lionel Messi enrolls sons Thiago & Mateo in PSG academy after transfer from Barcelona

Lionel Messi on Sunday debuted for Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) and defeated Reims 2-0. Already a legend, Lionel Messi, had to leave Barcelona after dedicating 21 years to the club. The move came after La Liga's financial fair play rules along with Barca's debts made it impossible for the club to be able to sustain the relationship with the player.

Messi's kids join PSG academy

As per a report in French daily L’Equipe, Messi has enrolled his two sons Thiago (8-year-old) and Mateo (5-year-old) at Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) academy -  meaning the two have now officially left Barcelona's academy. Messi and Roccuzzo have three sons: Thiago (born 2012), Mateo (born 2015), and Ciro (born 2018). 

When Messi signed for the PSG, his wife Antonela Roccuzzo had penned down a heartfelt note and had also shared a picture of her sons donning the PSG jersey. Antonela in her note had stated that the 'new chapter' PSG is full of opportunities. Antonela had also expressed that 'all changes are difficult' but together as a family they will overcome it. 

Lionel Messi's PSG debut most watched French match in Spain 

As per ESPN, Lionel Messi's debut with PSG on Sunday averaged over 2 million viewers in Spain. This reportedly made it the most-watched French football game in Spain ever. 34-year-old Lionel Messi made his first-ever appearance for PSG in Sunday's match against Reims. The forward, who moved from Barcelona on a free transfer this summer, was sent in to replace Neymar for the last 30 minutes of the match. PSG snatched a 2-0 victory in Sunday's match against Reims, with French footballer Kylian Mbappe scoring both goals for the club. 

Messi's debut match was broadcasted on the free-to-air channel Telecinco in Spain, according to ESPN. The rating numbers were released on Monday revealing that the match had an average audience of 2.2 million viewers, also making it the most-watched programme in the country on Sunday. The outlet reported that over 6.7 million people turned on their televisions to watch PSG's match on Sunday "at some point during the 90 minutes."

While fans rushed to watch Messi's PSG debut, Barcelona's 2-1 win over Getafe in LaLiga was watched by an average of 591,000 viewers.

(Image Credits: antonelaroccuzzo-Insta/Paris Saint Germain/Twitter)