Lionel Messi receives guard of honour from his PSG teammates on return to training

World Cup winner Lionel Messi received a guard of honour from his Paris Saint-Germain teammates as he made his highly-anticipated return to the capital.

The 35-year-old forward played a crucial role in Argentina's trophy-winning campaign in Qatar this winter, scoring seven goals, which included a brace against France in the final.

He also became the first player to win the World Cup Player of the Tournament twice, establishing himself in the history books once again.

In fact, Argentina's financial governing body are reportedly considering immortalising Messi by putting his face on a 1000-peso note, such was his influence on the grandest stage.

Messi was handed a 10-day break by club side PSG after his efforts in Qatar with the national team.

And on Wednesday morning, he returned to the club's training facilities ahead of Friday's Coupe de France clash against Chateauroux – a game he is expected to feature in.

To mark his return, the majority of players and staff at Les Parisiens gave the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner a guard of honour, although French forward Kylian Mbappe was not present on his first day back, according to L'Equipe.

It is believed most of the Paris Saint-Germain squad were granted a day off following their disappointing 3-1 defeat to Lens on Sunday.

After being given a guard of honour, Messi was handed a gold-plated award from an official at Paris Saint-Germain to mark his World Cup win – and the Argentine proceeded to pose with the trophy.

The former Barcelona man reportedly wants to bring the World Cup trophy to the Parc des Princes, and has already asked the Ligue 1 champions to present it before their next home game.

That being said, Paris Saint-Germain are reluctant to grant his request over fear of backlash from fans.

PSG manager Christophe Galtier believes the player will be be greeted with a warm welcome from fans on his return.

"Obviously he will be well received at home," Galtier said. "On the reception at the stadium, I have no doubt that he will be well received at Parc des Princes.

"He won the most beautiful of trophies by being very good in this World Cup. Above all, now that he has achieved this incredible goal, we must remember what he has done since the start of the season with the team."

Messi was given an award by PSG for winning the World Cup ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hKTvQlQdFS

— Messi Media (@LeoMessiMedia) January 4, 2023

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