Paris St Germain announced the signing of Lionel Messi on a two-year deal earlier this week which will see him line up alongside Kylian Mbappe and former Barcelona team-mate Neymar.
Arguably the best front three in world football on paper, the PSG forward line-up will be looking to dominate world football and get their hands on the Champions League – a trophy which has so far eluded the French side.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the trio – already dubbed ‘MNM’ – who bagged a combined 66 goals and 21 assists in their respective leagues last season.
Lionel Messi
The six-time world player of the year notched at least 25 goals in each of his last 12 campaigns with Barcelona. The 34-year-old won 35 major trophies including 10 league titles throughout his time at Nou Camp. He picked up four Champions League winners’ medals, and will be hoping to add a fifth to the collection as well as PSG’s first. He left Spain as comfortably LaLiga’s all-time record goalscorer with 474, including 36 hat-tricks. Fresh from his Copa America triumph, the Argentinian is showing no signs of ageing after playing more than 3,000 league minutes last term.
Neymar
Like Messi, the Brazilian arrived in France after a stint in Catalonia. The 29-year-old joined in 2017 and has registered 262 career goals, 87 for PSG. He often saves his best performances for the Champions League, and averages just over one goal contribution per match with 41 goals and 31 assists in 69 games during his career. Neymar’s best return for PSG came in his first campaign, when he managed 19 goals and 13 assists in Ligue 1. His goals and assists per game have gradually declined from 1.61 in 2018 to 0.89 in 2021, but he will be hopeful those figures will be boosted by the arrival of his former Barcelona team-mate.
Kylian Mbappe
The 22-year-old Frenchman will line up alongside Messi for the first time, which brings a mix of two generational talents into one picture at the Parc des Princes. Mbappe arrived from Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in 2017, initially on loan, after scoring 27 goals in 60 games. He enjoyed his second best season in Paris last term, netting on 27 occasions, six less than his previous best of 33 in the 2018-19 campaign. He and Neymar arrived in the same transfer window four years ago but he has played over 2,000 more minutes than the Brazil international. Mbappe has made 237 goal contributions in 232 games, including an assist in the first match of the 2021-22 campaign in a 2-1 victory over Troyes last weekend.
‘Maybe I’ll be signed by Wrexham, who knows? English football would suit me – if an offer came, I wouldn’t think twice, I’d go immediately’ Euro 2024 cult hero reveals his UK dream
‘Managing Leeds? It was an option that appeared, but it wasn’t the right timing. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to leave the club I was at mid-season’: Premier League boss admits to turning down opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch in 2023
