Lionel Messi’s arrival in Paris has not only shaken the soccer world but also the city, which had to prepare an important security plan to hold hundreds of Paris Saint-Germain fanatics celebrating and gathering outside the club’s stadium, the airport and the Hotel Le Royal Monceau, where the Argentinian is staying.
Messi joined PSG on Tuesday, after shockingly leaving FC Barcelona, his club of 21 years. The Argentinian was offered a two-year deal with a reported salary of $35 million per season, with an option of extending it one year.
On Wednesday, the Parisian Club officially presented Messi as their new player in a press conference at the Parc des Princes auditorium. The Argentinian went outside to greet the mass of people waiting for him, but soon after he left, some fans clashed with the police and security guards outside the stadium, according to videos posted on Twitter.
Messi gets Royal treatment: huge police escort in Paris
TV producer Renata Heiborn posted a video on Twitter where fans can be seen feuding with police. “Unfortunately, the game here outside did not end well. The confusion began when a fan lit a firecracker in the middle of the crowd in the stadium. French riot police tried to intervene but were attacked by fans,”she explained.
However, fans were largely peaceful. Since the rumors of a possible Messi’s arrival on Monday to the French capital started to circulate, crowds of fans expected him outside Le Bourget airport. However, they had to wait until Tuesday, when the 34 year-old player finally arrived in the city. Supporters also gathered outside the Hotel Le Royal Monceau, where Messi and his family are staying for now.
It seemed like the police were preoccupied with Messi’s security as he was being convoyed around the city with a massive security presence, which some people compared on Twitter to the ones for the world leaders, like the US president.
