The World Cup star has decided to join MLS’ Internacional Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain
Argentine football legend Lionel Messi has opted to join David Beckham’s MLS team Inter Miami CF in the US, rather than play in Saudi Arabia next season or return to his club. Former European team FC Barcelona.
“I decided to go to Miami,” Messi said in a joint interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport on Wednesday. “I’m not 100% off it yet. I’m missing something, but we’ve decided to keep going down that path.”
The decision comes after media reports last month suggested it was a “A done deal” Messi will play for an unidentified club in Saudi Arabia under a contract worth more than $650 million. His contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) expires on June 30.
Messi had hoped to return to his old club Barcelona, where he won ten La Liga titles, but the club’s financial problems have become a stumbling block. “If things don’t work out in Barcelona, I want to leave Europe, stay out of the spotlight and think more about my family,” he said. Messi said in an interview on Wednesday.
The surprise landing not only brought one of the sport’s biggest stars to a US tour less prestigious than Europe’s top leagues, but also one of the newest MLS teams. Inter Miami was formed in 2018 and kicked off the 2020 season. When Beckham joined the league as a player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, he was given the option to buy an expansion team for $25 million.
Like Beckham, Messi will have a place in the league’s future by agreeing to play in the United States.his proposed contract It is said Includes the option to become a co-owner of Inter Miami, as well as a revenue share from apparel sales and the Apple TV affiliate streaming service. The three-year contract gives him the option to leave after each season, be exercisable in June, or automatically renew.
Messi said he did not want to wait and lose control of his future when he learned in August 2021 that the club would not be able to re-sign him, given the complications of a possible return to Barcelona. He did not seriously consider other opportunities to play again in Europe.
“I had offers from other European teams but I didn’t even evaluate them because my idea was to go to Barcelona and if Barcelona didn’t work out, analyze it and leave European football,” he said. Messi said. He is open to playing in the MLS after fulfilling his dream of leading Argentina to a World Cup title last December, “Enjoying each day more, but having the same responsibility to want to win, always getting things done, but with more peace of mind.”
Messi is the only player to have won the Ballon d’Or twice, was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player twice and has captained a record 19 caps. He has won the Ballon d’Or, which honors the sport’s top players, a record seven times.
