After serious speculations on where his future lies in recent months, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and the 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi has decided to join David Beckham’s Major League Soccer side, Inter Miami FC. According to sources familiar with the terms of La Pulga’s new contract, the 35-year-old Argentine will be penning a deal with a length of two and a half years, meaning he will be playing in the United States until the end of 2025, with an option year for 2026.
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Messi: “I Really Wanted to Come Back to (Barcelona).”
Before coming to an ultimate move to depart from Europe for America, the Rosario-born football great had two other primary options: Joining Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal via the highest-paid sports contract ever (Over €400 million per year), or returning to his boyhood club, Barcelona two years after his emotional exit from the Spanish La Liga powerhouse. La Pulga’s eventual choice meant we will not see the reignited battle between two of the most successful players (Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) in the history of football going up against each other in the oil-rich Saudi region; Barca fans who were eager for Messi’s return are now devastated with his decision to join Inter Miami FC, who currently sits at the bottom place of the Eastern Conference in the MLS.
When asked about the reason why the 35-year-old picked Inter Miami over his long-time club, Messi emphasised that he did not want to go through another round of catastrophic incidents with the Catalan Giants, having been forced to leave the club due to management issues and the spending limit imposed by La Liga. News also confirmed that, despite Barcelona’s and head coach Xavi Hernández’s desires to bring Messi back to Camp Nou, the Spanish outfit was unable to offer any guarantees to the Messi camp about the registration process.
“I wanted to make my own decision for myself and my family. Even though I heard [in the media] that the league had accepted everything and that everything was OK for me to come back, there were still a lot of other things missing I heard that they had to sell players or lower the salaries of players and I didn’t want to go through that, nor be responsible or have anything to do with all that” was the 35-year-old’s response in an interview.
MLS is going all out to lure Lionel Messi to the league 😳
Included in a potential deal:
◻️ Profit sharing with Apple and Adidas
◻️ Potential option to purchase a percentage of an MLS team at end of tenure@PaulTenorio, @FelipeCar and @MLSist have more:https://t.co/IpunCoOLCx— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 7, 2023
The Past Two Years Had Been Tough
Messi joined French Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain after his disastrous exit from Barcelona in 2021. Since then, the Argentine forward won consecutive league titles in France, in addition to captaining Argentina to win its third FIFA World Cup trophy last year. While these achievements are sweet, the 35-year-old admitted that life in France was not as desired or ideal for him and his family.
“I had to come to Paris, stay in a hotel for a long time with my family, with my children going to school and still being in the hotel. We never, ever wanted to come [to Paris]. It was very, very, very difficult, but the family supports me and it is a collective decision, not only mine. But I have just had two years in which things were not great for the family and I didn’t enjoy it. That month was spectacular for me when we won the World Cup, but apart from that, it has been a difficult time for me”, Messi said.
The World Cup-winning skipper also revealed that he had another opportunity to join an European club in this Summer transfer window, but he turned down the proposal out of respect towards his beloved former club Barcelona, citing that he does not want to join another club in Europe, apart from returning to the Spanish side. He now look forward to an unparalleled experience to play football outside Europe, while continuing to have the same desire to capture team and individual titles.
Enjoy Football in a Different Way
It is reported that Messi’s deal with Inter Miami has included lucrative terms such as revenue-sharing deals with MLS’s partners such as Apple and Messi’s own sponsor Adidas. Furthermore, there will likely be an option for La Pulga to purchase a percentage of an MLS team upon the end of his contract.
What do you think about Messi’s decision to not return to Barcelona and join Inter Miami? Tell us down in the comment section.
