LIONEL MESSI’S Paris Saint-Germain debut was the most watched French football game in Spanish TV history.
The Argentine superstar made his PSG bow against Reims on Sunday night and it seems millions of Barcelona fans tuned in to watch their hero.
Barca legend Gerard Pique’s Kosmos company bought the rights to broadcast the French league in Spain after the 34-year-old joined PSG on a free.
Its coverage started at the weekend and PSG’s 2-0 win was the obvious headline event.
Barcelona legend Messi replaced Neymar in the 66th minute – his first appearance for Mauricio Pochettino’s side since his emotional Nou Camp exit.
And although one of the greatest players of all time didn’t do much, his appearance still encouraged 6,734,000 Spainards to tune in.
Popular Twitch caster Ibai Llanos streamed the game on his channel which reached more than 2m unique Spanish viewers.
While Spanish TV channel Telecinco accounted for the rest.
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Kylian Mbappe scored either side of half-time to give PSG the win amid interest from Real Madrid.
Earlier this month, Pique’s company bought the rights to Ligue 1 in Spain.
According to ESPN, the centre-back’s Kosmos Holding signed a three-year deal in collaboration with Enjoy TV.
Movistar previously held the rights to Ligue 1 in Spain in a deal worth less than €2.5million (£2.1m) annually.
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But they turned down the chance to renew this season before Messi left Barca.
Pique’s Kosmos also bought the rights to the Copa America final in the summer, which saw Argentina beating Brazil at the Maracana.
After Sunday’s game, Messi made a fan’s dream come true when he took a picture with the Reims goalkeeper’s young son.
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