Ligue1.com takes a look at the most important movers and shakers as the summer transfer window slams shut...

Lionel Messi

From: Barcelona

To: Paris Saint-Germain

Who else? Messi to PSG is the kind of move that only comes about once in a generation; indeed, Messi is the kind of player who does. A record six-time Ballon d'Or winner with 672 goals and 305 assists in his club career coming in at a barely fathomable rate of one every 65 minutes he has EVER played, nobody expected his 21-year stay with Barcelona to come to an end this summer.

But PSG made their move amid contract difficulties in Catalonia, and now the little magician finds himself in France. He made his debut in last Sunday's 2-0 win at Stade de Reims, with both sets of fans giving him a standing ovation when he replaced former Barca teammate Neymar Jr. for the final 33 minutes.

Watch: Messi makes his Ligue 1 Uber Eats debut

"I'm impatient to start a new chapter of my career in Paris," Messi said on arrival. "The club and its vision are in perfect harmony with my ambitions. I know how talented the players and staff are here. I'm determined to build, alongside them, something great for the club and for the fans. I can't wait to set foot on the Parc des Princes pitch."

If he thinks he got a reception at the at the Stade Auguste-Delaune...

Sergio Ramos

From: Real Madrid

To: Paris Saint-Germain

Messi is one of the very few players in world football whose arrival could overshadow that of Ramos's. The long-time Real Madrid and Spain captain, Ramos has had many a career battle with Messi; and while he trails his now teammate 22-15 in Clasico head-to-heads, he has won a FIFA World Cup to go alongside his 22 major club honours.

Now 35, injuries restricted Ramos to 15 La Liga games with Real last season, and he missed UEFA Euro 2020, but club doctors have described the centre-back as being "as fit as a bull" and he remains the preeminent defender of his generation.

Ramos has scored 104 goals - some of them crucial winners in UEFA Champions League knock-out ties - and he could yet add to his record 180 caps for Spain. PSG want to reclaim the Ligue 1 Uber Eats title, and with Ramos so important in both boxes, he could prove just as crucial to that end as Messi.

Xherdan Shaqiri

From: Liverpool

To: Olympique Lyonnais

Messi is not the only diminutive, left-footed gamechanger to arrive in France this summer, nor the only one with more than one Champions League winners medal on his mantlepiece. Lyon were the dominant force in French football before the rise of PSG, and Shaqiri could help les Gones push Paris all the way once again this season.

Widely regarded as Switzerland's greatest ever player, Shaqiri has previously conquered Europe with Bayern Munich and Liverpool, and at 29, remains unequivocally at the peak of his powers. He watched on as Lyon beat FC Nantes 1-0 last Friday, but it is surely only a matter of time before he picks up Memphis Depay's mantle as the club's talisman.

"Lyon are a very successful club in France and Europe who want to win titles again," Shaqiri said on signing. "The club have identified a need for experienced players, and I think they're on the way to taking the next step. I really want to pass on my winning mentality, to help the team's young players. The fans deserve to experience a period of greatness again."

Mamadou Sakho

From: Crystal Palace

To: Montpellier Hérault SC

It's not so long ago that Sakho was considered one of the most promising young centre-backs on the planet; signed by Liverpool from PSG in 2013 to be Virgil van Dijk five years before Virgil van Dijk was.

PSG's youngest ever captain when he led them out four months before his 18th birthday, Sakho wrestled with injuries in Merseyside, but he remains a cult figure at Anfield despite spending the last five seasons with Crystal Palace.

Montpellier picked Sakho up on a free transfer at the conclusion of his contract with the Selhurst Park club in a deal which could prove to be the steal of the summer. Sakho is still just 31; relatively young for a centre-back at a club who lined up with a 43-year-old Hilton at the heart of their defence last season.

Gerson

From: Flamengo

To: Olympique de Marseille

Marseille have also been busy during the transfer window, with the incoming Cengiz Under, Konrad de la Fuente, Matteo Guendouzi and Gerson all likely to help assuage the loss of Florian Thauvin to Tigres UANL in Mexico's Liga MX. Gerson's arrival was the biggest financial outlay, but the 24-year-old already looks to be money well spent, with a goal and an assist from his four league games to date.

Watch: Gerson scored a fine first goal for Marseille

Marseille is Gerson's second bite at European football after three-year spell in Italy with Roma and Fiorentina, and whilst some South Americans may have returned to their homeland with their tail between their legs, Gerson did so as a Brazilian record transfer when he joined Flamengo in 2019.

Sporting the same No.8 jersey once worn by Chris Waddle and Alen Boksic, Gerson figures to be every inch a fan favourite among the Orange Vélodrome faithful if he can build on his promising start.