LIONEL Messi admits that he has joined a super talented squad at Paris Saint-Germain but the new recruit has also cautioned against inordinate expectations.
The Argentina captain held his first press conference as a PSG player on Wednesday morning, the day after completing his switch from Barcelona, where he had been all his professional career.
Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the club by the Qatari royal family, PSG have yet to win the ultimate club trophy, the UEFA Champions League.
Now, with the arrival of Messi, widely considered the best player of his generation, expectations have shot through the roof as he is seen as the final piece of the jigsaw to unlock the coveted trophy.
In combination with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarruma, Messi has been tipped to inspire PSG to their first Champions League title.
Having won four in his time at Barcelona, the 34-year-old however insists that it is not a competition whose winners can be predicted.
“It’s not easy. In the end you can have the best team in the world, but you don’t win, because football is made up of details,” Messi said at his press conference in Paris.
“Paris were very close to winning, they had very strong teams, but they never managed to win the trophy. I don’t know what could be missing, but we need to be a united group.
“I still don’t know the dressing room, but from the outside I can say that we need a little luck.”
On the possibility of facing Barcelona, where he is regarded as a mini-god, Messi said: “It would be very nice to go back to Barcelona. I hope it would be possible with fans but it would be very strange to play at home in Barcelona with another shirt.”
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has signed a two-year deal with PSG, is eager to link up with his new teammates on the pitch, although he has to get back in peak shape after a torrid pre-season.
“It will be great to live everyday life with this squad that have great players,” he added.
“There have been many new signings and there were already very strong ones, now I look forward to starting with them.
“I don’t know when, because I’m coming from vacation, even though I haven’t stopped training. I’ll talk to the technical staff, but I don’t know yet, I will certainly have to prepare.
“I don’t know when I can take to the pitch.”
Despite his caution about people expecting PSG to stroll to the Champions League title, Messi believes he can get a fifth European title with the ‘complete’ squad in Paris.
“There’s a complete team here, important signings have been made to win the Champions League,” he continued. “I’m here to help, to give my best and to be able to achieve the maximum.
“My goal is to win another Champions League and I’m convinced that I’m at the right place.”
Messi spent 21 years at Barcelona, 18 of them as a member of the senior squad, scoring 474 goals in 520 appearances to become the club’s all-time top scorer.
He will earn £25m annually at PSG after tax, as well as a £25m signing on fee.
He had to reluctantly leave Barcelona after the debt-ridden club could not re-sign him as a result of salary cap limits enforced by LaLiga.
