Lionel Messi expected back at PSG by January 3rd

Lionel Messi was called up to be part of the Argentina squad that made history in Qatar. In fact, he led his nation to their third World Cup victory in history and became the ultimate GOAT. That's old news, though. Of importance is the question of when will Messi be coming back to Paris to rejoin PSG?

With 10 days between the World Cup final and the first competitive game on PSG's schedule (Wednesday, Dec. 28, vs. Strasbourg) Messi is still celebrating his victory in Argentina with his family and friends.

Messi is expected to flip the calendar page on his native country and will only return to Paris after New Year. Adding a layer of detail, South American media outlet TyC Sports has gone the distance to predict a return to PSG by the Argentine genius: Tuesday, Jan. 3.

TyC has always had a tight grip on all things Argentina, so it's a very reliable source of information. According to them, PSG are expecting the return of their no. 1 player and no. 30 on the jersey for Tuesday, Jan. 3 and no earlier.

A return to the French capital by Jan. 3 would rule Messi out from appearing in the first two Ligue 1 games played by PSG (Dec. 28 vs. Strasbourg and Jan. 1 at RC Lens). He might not be needed on Wednesday with Strasbourg in the relegation places, but PSG surely will miss the Argentine against second-place Lens next Sunday.

Lionel Messi will be back training on Jan. 3, should play on Jan. 11 in the French Cup

Messi would be first available for a return against Chateauroux on Jan. 6 when PSG face their lower-league opponent in the French Cup round of 32. That looks like a proper game to make a comeback in the vein of training as the lesser club shouldn't pose a great challenge for the Argentina legend to dance around.

As far as the rest of the World Cup participants' status go, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar (training since returning to PSG on Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 respectively) are eager to play with PSG, and both want to be on the field on Wednesday, with Mbappe expected to start the game against Strasbourg.

Achraf Hakimi also returned to Camp des loges on Dec. 21 and should start tomorrow. Marquinhos will do the same (returned Dec. 22) in the middle of the defensive line. Neymar will most probably come off the bench as there are still question marks about his health and the status of his ankle after getting injured through the World Cup.