Lionel Messi made his Paris St-Germain debut as a 66th-minute substitute in a 2-0 win at Reims in Ligue 1.
The Argentine, wearing his new number 30 PSG shirt, received a standing ovation as he replaced his friend Neymar in front of a sell-out crowd.
It was the first club game of his career for a team other than Barcelona.
"He is still far away from his best form but he has been training well and he will be fit in the next two weeks," boss Mauricio Pochettino told Amazon.
"We are waiting for the best from him. I'm very happy that he made his debut. It was very important for him.
"He was good, from his first touches he gave the team peace of mind. It's good for him to start with a win.
"It was good to hear the crowd cheering for him, not just our supporters, it's something Leo has earned."
Kylian Mbappe scored both goals on what could be his final appearance for the club, with Real Madrid keen to sign him before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
Real Madrid have made a 160m euro (£137m) bid to sign the 22-year-old, who has now scored 135 goals in 175 games for PSG.
His first goal was a header from an Angel di Maria cross and for his second he swept home Achraf Hakimi's cross.
"Kylian is our player and you know that in football and in business there is always gossip and rumours," Pochettino said.
"I think our president and our sporting director were very clear and he is still here. I am really happy to have Kylian.
"He is one of the best, one of the most important players in the world today, and for him to be with us is a gift."
But the headlines will be about 34-year-old Messi, who came on moments after that second goal.
Tickets for the game were being resold for about 6,000 euros after Reims sold over 20,000 tickets for the Stade Auguste-Delaune match. Before Messi's signing only about 6,000 had been sold.
Their purchasers may have been disappointed to see Messi only named on the bench - although he got an ovation as he warmed up, with fans chanting his name, and an even bigger one when he came on.
He played some nice passes and was involved in good link-up play, drawing several fouls. However he had few touches in the penalty area and no shooting opportunities.
"He brings serenity to the team. His energy and his optimism trickle down on the rest of the team," said Pochettino.
Messi had missed the first few games for PSG since his free transfer move following his exit from Barcelona. This was his first game since winning the Copa America with Argentina in July.
He joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old and scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for the club.
He has won six Ballons d'Or - also a record - and is considered one of the greatest footballers ever.
Line-ups
Reims
Formation3-1-4-2
1Rajkovic
6Gravillon2Faes5Abdelhamid
26Lopy
32Foket23Moro Cassamã15Munetsi11Mbuku
20Kebbal27Touré
1Rajkovic
6Gravillon
2Faes
5Abdelhamid
26LopySubstituted forvan Bergenat71'minutes
32Foket
23Moro CassamãSubstituted forLockoat45'minutes
15Munetsi
11MbukuSubstituted forBerishaat45'minutes
20KebbalSubstituted forFlipsat75'minutes
27TouréSubstituted forEkitikeat81'minutesBooked at 84mins
Substitutes
3Konan
12Flips
13Doucouré
14Berisha
16Diouf
19van Bergen
22Ekitike
24Cafaro
28Locko
PSG
Formation4-3-3
1Navas
2Hakimi5Marquinhos24Kehrer22Diallo
18Wijnaldum27Gueye6Verratti
11Di María7Mbappé10Neymar
1Navas
2Hakimi
5Marquinhos
24Kehrer
22DialloBooked at 55minsSubstituted forKimpembeat75'minutes
18WijnaldumSubstituted forHerreraat66'minutes
27Gueye
6VerrattiBooked at 45minsSubstituted forParedesat75'minutesBooked at 88mins
11Di MaríaSubstituted forDraxlerat81'minutes
7Mbappé
10NeymarSubstituted forMessiat66'minutes
Substitutes
3Kimpembe
8Paredes
15Danilo
21Herrera
23Draxler
29Kalimuendo-Muinga
30Messi
36Ebimbe
50G Donnarumma
Referee:
François Letexier
Attendance:
20,525
Match Stats
Live Text
Match ends, Reims 0, Paris Saint Germain 2.
Second Half ends, Reims 0, Paris Saint Germain 2.
Attempt saved. Mitchell van Bergen (Reims) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Valon Berisha.
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Thomas Foket (Reims).
Foul by Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain).
Thomas Foket (Reims) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain).
Thomas Foket (Reims) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Marshall Munetsi (Reims).
Attempt blocked. Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Julian Draxler.
Leandro Paredes (Paris Saint Germain) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Leandro Paredes (Paris Saint Germain).
Marshall Munetsi (Reims) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Yunis Abdelhamid (Reims).
Attempt saved. Yunis Abdelhamid (Reims) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mitchell van Bergen with a headed pass.
Corner, Reims. Conceded by Idrissa Gueye.
Hugo Ekitike (Reims) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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