At the training facility, Lionel Messi received a guard of honor from his teammates before PSG’s sporting director presented him with a small trophy.
Lionel Messi returned to work on Wednesday, 17 days after leading Argentina to a historic victory over France in the World Cup final, his French club Paris Saint-Germain announced.
The 35-year-old seven-time Ballon d’Or winner returned to the club’s training facility in preparation for Saturday’s French Cup match against Chateauroux, a third-tier team.
In the final of the Qatar tournament, Messi scored twice to help Argentina draw 3-3 with France before winning the penalty shootout. He has celebrated in Argentina ever since and spent time with his family.
According to images posted by the club on its Twitter account, on Wednesday, he received a guard of honor from his teammates at the training facility before PSG’s sporting director Luis Campos presented him with a small trophy.
Kylian Mbappe, Messi’s teammate who scored a hat trick in the championship game but lost, and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi returned to club duty just three days after the championship game, and Neymar of Brazil checked in a day later.
Messi is unlikely to play this weekend; he is more likely to play in the home Ligue 1 match on Wednesday against Angers.