Super Eagles legend Okocha welcomes Lionel Messi to PSG

Nigeria’s Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, has welcomed Paris Saint-Germain’s new attacker Lionel Messi, to Paris.

Okocha sent his welcome message via his Instagram handle to Messi, who just moved to Ligue 1 after an emotional exit from Barcelona.

Okocha, who was a former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, earlier congratulated Messi and said he would not have returned to Nigeria if offered the Argentine superstar’s pay while playing for the club.

In 1998, French side Paris Saint-Germain spent around £14 million to sign Okocha, making him the most expensive African player at the time.

During his four-year stint with PSG, he played 84 matches and scored 12 goals.

“Welcome to Paris,” Okocha said in the caption of a photo of him and Messi on Instagram.

Messi arrived in the French capital on Tuesday before penning a two-year contract with the option of a third season.

The club also revealed on Thursday ”it had paid a signing on bonus to the player in PSG’s own virtual currency which it calls $PSG Fan Tokens, originally sold at 2 euros each and currently trading over 30 Euros each.”

“The coins are there to create a link between the fans and the club, and it’s the first time we have used them in this way,” the Parisians said in a statement without saying how many they had given to Messi.

PSG quickly emerged as the favourite to sign Messi following the shock of his departure last week from Barcelona and he arrives eyeing a fifth Champions League, with the most recent of his four victories with his old club coming in 2015.

PSG are reportedly paying 35 million euros ($41 million) a year to Messi, who will wear the number 30 jersey — with fans continuing to line up outside the club’s different shops in the capital to buy the shirt with his name and number on the back.

NP/Mercy Chukwudiebere