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OLYMPIQUE Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas, whose club have Zimbabwean forward, Tino Kadewere, on their books, feels the arrival of Lionel Messi, will transform the value of French Ligue 1 and lead to increased income from television rights.

The Argentine superstar flew into Paris yesterday to seal his mega deal with Paris Saint-Germain.

Kadewere could face the world’s best player, in a league match, on September 19 while another Zimbabwean star, Marshall Munetsi, who plays for Stade Reims, could have come up against him, on August 29.

Marshal Munetsi

Lyon boss Aulas, a wealthy businessman, believes the presence of Messi will improve the league’s standing and that the transfer would lead to an increase in income from BeIN’s overseas rights deal.

“It’ll be fantastic for us all, for the TV rights and the general marketing value of Ligue 1, it would undeniably be a plus,’’ he said.

‘‘This time, with Messi, you can’t imagine that in a transparent context, the broadcasting rights sold by BeIN abroad wouldn’t explode.

‘‘I am very confident, if this transfer goes through, with Neymar and Mbappé there, were in a favourable position. We shouldn’t forget that Marseille are also making efforts, as are Nice and Lille, and Lyon have and will do as well.

“If Qatar take the initiative to build a great team at PSG, we’ll all be happy — even if it makes the competition more difficult. But you need the other clubs, at least the ones going for European places, to have the means to sign players like Messi. 

‘‘In that case, we would become the number one league in Europe, for that to happen, BeIN has to be positive with the international rights to develop them even further.”

A report in yesterday’s L’Equipe broke down the potential financial benefits the Messi deal would bring to the rest of the league, amid a serious financial crisis across French clubs.

With the clubs losing out on €400m over two seasons, from the failed Mediapro TV rights deal and the international broadcasting deals — operated by BeIN Sports — amounting to a minimum of €75m, French football lags far behind its rivals in terms of TV revenue. 

This means the majority of the clubs are not able to pay what other teams, in other leagues, pay their players.

The French Ligue 1 is expected to enjoy a resurgence, in exposure, which would benefit its case, once it comes to negotiating the rights packages.

Another potential means of tapping into the Messi effect would be through the creation of a trading company for the LFP, the governing body of French professional football — which has been authorised by the FFF, as well as France’s National Assembly, but is yet to be approved by the Senate.

One notable case of this abroad has been the sale of 10% of the Spanish league to an investment fund, in return for €2.7bn — many French clubs have seen in such moves an opportunity to grow, which would be aided by the Argentine’s arrival in the league.

Struggling to find a broadcaster for 2021-2024, LFP reached an agreement with Canal+, the largest broadcaster in France, to televise the two best matches of the week, on Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings. 

However, the league still needed to broadcast eight more matches per week. 

That’s when beIN Sports, the official international broadcaster of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, came in. 

The Qatari network agreed to pay for domestic rights for the Ligue 1 if Canal+ agreed to show them on its platform.

A month before the kick-off of the new season, Canal+ announced it terminated its contract with beIN Sports and would not broadcast Ligue 1. 

The fallout came after LFP signed a  three-year domestic rights deal with Amazon to stream 304 Ligue 1 matches per season each year along with top pick games from Ligue 2 — at a price much lower than what Canal+ and beIN Sports agreed to pay to for the broadcast rights. 

Last Thursday, a court in France ordered Canal+ to honour its US$393 million per year commitment to beIN Sports to produce and broadcast the agreed number of matches. C

Canal+ faces a penalty of €1 million per day if it does not respect the ruling.

“The domestic Ligue 1 rights remain fragile,” Dan Cohen, SVP of Octagon Sports said in a phone interview. “The court’s decision does not mean that the issue is resolved.”

Cohen thinks it is an extraordinary moment for Ligue 1 and its broadcasters. 

“Messi’s presence would boost value and attractiveness of Ligue 1, just as Ronaldo’s arrival to Serie A did,” he said. “Since Juventus confirmed Ronaldo, Serie A’s broadcast value went up 27% in the US.”

While the future of the national TV broadcast is unclear, those who are interested in watching Messi and Neymar online will have to fork out US$15.25, a month, on top of their Amazon Prime membership. 

The streaming platform also offers a weekly show, featuring commentary anchored by retired soccer superstars and former coaches such as Thierry Henry.

Neymar too to social media to express his excitement ahead of the signing of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The Brazilian has long spoken of his desire to play alongside Messi once again.

Speaking after PSG’s 3-1 win over Manchester United in the Champions League last December, he said: “I want to play with Messi again.

“It’s what I want the most. I want to enjoy being on the pitch with him again. For sure next year we have to do it.”

Messi touched down in Paris yesterday to complete his deal.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma said he was also excited by Messi’s arrival.

‘‘I am very happy that Leo is coming here,’’ he told SkySports Italia. 

“He’s the best in the world, so I can’t help but be excited and happy. It’s an honour to play with him.”

PSG have published two videos, first one teasing a “new diamond in Paris” and then the second, was of six Ballon d’Or trophies – the same number Messi has won – outside the Eiffel Tower, accompanied by an hourglass emoji.

The club have also called a press conference for 11am today.

The first clip features what appears a brief image of a footballer in an Argentina number 10 shirt and a picture of the PSG dressing room with an Argentina flag hanging above a seat.

The private plane, which took Messi to Paris, was tracked by more than 100 000 excited fans.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shared data showing a huge number of supporters were keeping tabs on Messi even during his time in the air.

They showed details of a Bombardier Global 7500 plane, the “largest and longest range” private jet in the world, travelling from Barcelona airport to Paris-Le Bourget in the north of the city.

Posting while Messi was speeding across the middle of France, Flightradar24 said that “more than 50 000 people” were watching the plane’s journey. 

And, that number had doubled to 119 000 by the time the jet’s wheels were about to touch the tarmac in Paris. — Sports Reporter/Reuters/sportico.com/getfootballnewsfrance.com/Daily Express.