T-shirt with Pelé’s portrait
Paris Saint-Germain players, led by Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Neymar, wore a T-shirt bearing a portrait of the legendary Pele before the start of the match between PSG and SCO Angers at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
‘Eternal Rei’
The Parisian club wanted to pay tribute to the recently deceased Brazilian star and dressed all its players in a shirt that read ‘Eterno Rei’ (Eternal Rei), referring to Pelé.
Football legend
The Brazilian star passed away last December 29 at the age of 82 due to colon cancer at the Albert Einstein Hospital. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, ‘Pelé’, considered one of the best in the history of football, was a three-time world champion and left an eternal legacy in the sport.
Neymar did not go to the funeral
Neymar was the first to show off the shirt with a photo in the locker room on his Twitter account. The Brazilian was criticized for not attending Pelé’s funeral.
Sergio Ramos, also with the shirt
Among the players who joined the tribute was also the Spaniard Sergio Ramos. Other members of the Parisian team such as Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi are still on vacation and could not participate.
No tribute to Messi
The match against SCO Angers was Messi’s first match as World Champion at his home stadium after the title he won with Argentina in Qatar.
Aisle and applause upon arrival
Paris Saint-Germain has already paid tribute to Lionel Messi with a corridor and applause on his return to work with the Parisian club after winning the World Cup, so there was no repetition of the tribute to the Argentine star.
Sarkozy watching the game
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was one of the spectators at the match between PSG and SCO Angers, alongside Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor Hotels.
Jamel Debbouze in the bleachers
French-Moroccan actor, comedian and producer Jamel Debbouze also attended the Ligue 1 match.
Messi’s best support
Leo Messi’s wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, and their children were also in the stands for the Argentine’s first match, in which PSG beat Angers 2-0, with goals from Hugo Ekitike and Lionel Messi.
