It’s official: Paris Saint-Germain announce ‘diamond’ Messi as superstar waves to fans at airport after arriving in France (VIDEO)

The worst-kept secret in football has resulted in a swift conclusion after French giants Paris Saint-Germain released an official video ahead of Lionel Messi's arrival at the club, racking up millions of views within minutes.

In a cinematic clip starting with the word 'update' and showing a plane flying through the air on the afternoon when Messi landed in Paris from Barcelona, Ligue 1 heavyweights PSG produced the teaser announcement that football fans around the world have been waiting for since the legendary striker's stunning departure was announced by his boyhood club last Thursday.

A glass of wine at a table with a view of the Eiffel Tower, where Messi's unveiling is rumored to be taking place on Tuesday evening, could then be seen in the video, followed by paperwork being signed in a symbolization of the Argentina idol's reported $59 million salary.

A line of shiny footballs in front of the tower, a locker room populated by PSG's blue, red and white home shirts and a crowd of fans watching a match at the club's Parc des Princes home then rapidly swung into view, accompanied by a figure walking out of darkness.

The sequence concluded with the words "a new diamond in Paris", referring to the new jewel among the most costly and best-paid squad in French football, which already features the likes of Neymar, who became the world's most expensive player when he ended his spell alongside Messi at Barcelona in a $270 million deal in 2017.

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi's stratospheric social media profile is vast compared to PSG's, and the video had been watched more than five million times within half an hour of its release.

Messi, who bade a tearful farewell to his beloved Barca on Sunday, left for Paris with his family on Tuesday morning, including his father and key representative in negotiations, Jorge.

Mobs of fans greeted the iconic striker at Le Bourget airport, where he was seen waving to them in a t-shirt that read 'Ici c'est Paris', with more crowds awaiting him at PSG's stadium.

Paris are at home to Strasbourg in the top flight on Saturday, when supporters – many of whom will be allowed back in for the first time since the pandemic began – will be hoping to see Messi make his debut.