Lionel Messi confirms he is moving to MLS side Inter Miami

GOING TO MIAMI: Lionel Messi has chosen his next, and possibly final, club in his wildly successful football career with the news that he will join Inter Miami of MLS. Pic: AP Photo/Michel Euler

Lionel Messi has chosen his next, and possibly final, club in his wildly successful football career with the news that he will join Inter Miami of MLS.

“I have made the decision that I am going to Miami … a few things are needed, but well, we decided to continue my path there,” Messi told Mundo Deportivo on Wednesday. “After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the … United States to live football in another way and to enjoy the day to day more.” 

Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, is flying to Miami to finalise the deal.

Messi’s decision to cross the Atlantic is somewhat of a surprise. Many believed the 35-year-old would follow his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia and sign a lucrative deal worth €1bn with Al Hilal. Others thought he would rejoin Barcelona, the club where he emerged as one of the greatest players of all time.

However, Barcelona’s financial constraints ruled out a deal, and Messi will instead head to Miami, a city whose lifestyle he enjoys and where he already owns property. Inter Miami are part-owned by David Beckham, one of the few footballers who can rival Messi for global fame. The move also represents a publicity coup for MLS as it continues its push to become a major player in US sports. The last time the league attracted a player of Messi’s fame was when Beckham joined Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.

“If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to [Saudi] Arabia or elsewhere,” Messi said. “It seemed like a lot of money to me. The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money.”

The Athletic reported on Tuesday that MLS has offered the Argentinian a revenue-sharing deal with Adidas and Apple TV+, which broadcasts the league in the US. There have also been reports that Messi, like Beckham, will be offered the chance to own part of Inter Miami.

Messi is joining a club in flux. Inter Miami are bottom of MLS’s Eastern Conference and fired manager Phil Neville last week. They still do not have a permanent home in the city, and play at a temporary 18,000-capacity stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The team was also disciplined by MLS in 2021 for violating the league’s roster rules. However, fortunes can turn around quickly in MLS, a competition that is designed to have more parity than the European leagues Messi is used to. Inter Miami are six points adrift of ninth place, where they would qualify for an elimination game to make the end of season play-offs.

Messi’s contract with Paris St-Germain expires on 30 June and the club have confirmed he will not sign a new deal to stay in France.

Guardian