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Fans are ecstatic to see Lionel Messi wear the no. 10 jersey as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) take on Marseille in the Coupe de France on Wednesday, February 8. While the Argentine usually wears no. 30 for the Parisian club, the change in his jersey number is due to the tournament's regulations.
Players can only wear kits numbered from 1-11 in the Coupe de France games. Messi once wore the No. 10 for the Ligue 1 leaders earlier in the season. Neymar, meanwhile, will take up the No. 11 kit.
Gianluigi Donnarumma starts in goal for Christophe Galtier's team. Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos, and Nuno Mendes form the back four. Marco Verratti, Danilo, and Fabian Ruiz are the midfield three. Vitinha and Neymar have started alongside Messi in attack.
Lionel Messi is yet to score or provide an assist against Marseille in three appearances. Whether he breaks the duck or not remains to be seen. Fans, however, are already over the moon to see him take up the PSG No. 10. They recalled the times when Messi and Neymar used to don these respective numbers for Barcelona.
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter:
PSG superstar Lionel Messi is yet to win the Coupe de France
In a career full of accolades, Lionel Messi has won almost every trophy that he has competed in. The Coupe de France, however, is something the PSG superstar is yet to get his hands on.
Nantes won the tournament last season in what was the Argentine's first season in France. PSG, however, are the record winners of the competition, winning it 14 times. Their latest triumph came in the 2020-21 season.
The Argentine will look to help the team en route to a triumph yet again this season. His form has been crucial for Galtier's side as they are already at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
A round of 16 mega showdown against Bayern Munich awaits the Ligue 1 side as well. With Kylian Mbappe likely to miss the first leg, Galtier will rely heavily on Messi and Neymar to get a positive result out of the game.
Messi is currently in the final months of his contract with the French club. The situation regarding a possible extension of his deal is a delicate one. Journalist Jerome Rothen recently claimed that offering the Argentine an extension would be a bad idea. He told RMC Sports (via Mirror):
"Messi's extension is bulls***, already in terms of numbers. Managing the three is complicated. Afterwards, there is the wage bill. And we saw that PSG is stuck with financial fair play. Because the wage bill has exploded."
