Lionel Messi is heading to the United States to play for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami next season.
The stunning announcement came on Wednesday, when Messi confirmed reports that he will turn down piles of cash from Saudi Arabia and his former Barcelona team to play for David Beckham’s co-owned Inter Miami team.
Messi made the official announcement through the Spanish publications Mundo Deportivo and Sport.
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Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain controls the ball during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Lorient at Parc des Princes on April 30, 2023 in Paris. (Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
«I have made the decision that I am going to Miami. I still do not have it 100% agreed and some things are missing, but hey, we decided to continue my path there,» Messi said.
«After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the United States league to experience soccer in a different way and enjoy more day to day, obviously, with the same responsibility and desire to play well and do things well, as always, but with more calm».
Messi also said that he wanted to make something work with Barcelona, who were unable to give him up in 2021 due to a financial crisis.
WORLD CUP WINNER LIONEL MESSI LEAVES PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN TO WEIGH NEXT CAREER MOVE
«Obviously, I had high hopes that I would be able to return [to Barcelona], but after what happened and the way I left, I didn’t want to go through the same situation and leave my future in someone else’s hands. I had to make my own decision, thinking about myself and my family. I made the decision to go to Miami.»
Although nothing has been agreed yet, Inter Miami’s package for Messi is reported to be massive.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi salutes after receiving the Ballon d’Or for best player of the tournament at the end of the World Cup final match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar on December 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
It begins with an option to have partial ownership of the franchise, although it will not be subsidized like Beckham’s in 2007 when he left for the LA Galaxy, according to ESPN. He was given the option to buy the team for $25 million at a discount.
There is also an unprecedented incentive to join Inter Miami, as Messi will reportedly get a share of the revenue from new subscribers to Apple’s streaming service for the league, MLS Season Pass. Finally, there has also been talk of an agreement with Adidas, but it has nothing to do with MLS.
With the move to the US, Messi is easily the biggest name to join the league since its inception in 1993. Before that, Beckham was the biggest draw when he joined the Galaxy.
Lionel Messi of Argentina with the world cup trophy, FIFA World Cup Trophy during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, in Al Dayen, Qatar. (ANP via Getty Images)
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Messi, 35, continues to play at an elite level, scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 games for France’s Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 during the 2022-2023 season. He, too, has just won the World Cup with Argentina, having finally gotten the elusive hardware in his possession, which many believe solidifies his place as the greatest footballer to step foot on a pitch in history.