Lionel Messi and his Paris Saint-Germain teammates arrived at Ostend Airport this afternoon. The Argentine football legend will be introduced to Belgian lawn for the first time.
38 years after Diego Maradona visited Astrid Park in Brussels, a new Argentine football legend has arrived in our country. Lionel Messi has never played in Belgium and has never faced a Belgian team. The fact that this is the first time he has played a European match in a shirt other than Barcelona, and perhaps the first match with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the same team, confirms that the international spotlight is on us for two days. The country is targeted.
Messi’s madness begins at Ostend airport where the Paris Saint-Germain private jet lands shortly after 12 noon. The players immediately disembarked from the runway in a bus that takes them directly to the Van der Valk Hotel in Oostkamp. This is closed today and tomorrow to all those not staying there. The cafe and restaurant will remain closed. Paris Saint-Germain sent two chefs to cook for the players.
PSG Homeland Security takes control of the hotel
Representatives of the French-Qatari club were in Ostkamp yesterday to make practical arrangements. The club’s internal security service takes control of the hotel. The local police ensure security around the complex. At around 4.30pm, the players leave for Jan Breydel Stadium, where coach Pochettino and captain Marquinhos hold a press conference. At six in the evening, in front of the international media, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar enter the Jan Breedel training field together.
risk match
Wednesday is all about the game – it kicks off at 9pm – which isn’t sold out yet. UEFA is said to be putting an unknown number of tickets on sale today. These are the cards that UEFA itself claimed they would eventually not use. The police consider the match a risky match and will check the roads to Bruges. Cars with French number plates are subject to recall, and PSG fans who do not have a ticket are thrown out. Far away fans with a ticket must catch a bus at the border crossing in Rekim to make the trip to Bruges.
After the match, Messi and his comrades. Coming home. The return flight from Ostend to Paris is scheduled at 1.30 am. In total, Paris Saint-Germain players will be in our country for 38 hours.
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