Last Updated on 06/09/2023 by てんしょく飯
Argentina’s Lionel Messi’s new club will be Inter Miami of Major League Soccer (MLS).
Messi himself revealed the news in an exclusive interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, two publications with close ties to Barcelona.
Messi has already announced that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the end of the 2022-23 season.
There have been reports of multiple options for his new club, but the three finalists were his old club Barcelona, Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, and Inter Miami.
Messi’s most preferred option was a return to Barcelona, but in Barcelona’s current financial situation, they could not meet La Liga’s own salary cap system and could be forced to sell more players. On the other hand, the total offer from Al Hilal is around 400 million euros (approximately 60 billion yen) per year. It was reported that the whole country was ready to welcome him.
Under these circumstances, the next club Messi chose to play for was Inter Miami.
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 7, 2023
In an exclusive interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, he declared his new destination: “I have decided to go to Miami. I am not 100% sure yet and there are still things I have to do. But I have decided to continue my journey in Miami,” he continued, revealing that he will be joining the American club, which is co-owned by former England midfielder David Beckham.
In the interview, Messi said, “I actually had offers from other European teams, but I only thought of going to Barcelona if I wanted to continue my career in Europe a little longer. So I never considered such an offer. If Barcelona didn’t work out, I would have to leave Europe,” he revealed. After winning the World Cup, I knew I couldn’t go back to Barcelona. It was time to go to the United States and enjoy every day while experiencing a different kind of soccer than I do now. Of course, I still have the same sense of responsibility, the same desire to win, and the same desire to always play my best. But I will be able to play soccer in a more relaxed environment,” he said, referring to some of the reasons for his decision.
Messi, now 35 years old, was born on June 24, 1987, and left his native Argentina in 2000 to join the Barcelona organization, making his first-team debut in October 2004. He has played a total of 778 official games and scored 672 goals, the most of any player in the club’s history, and has contributed to the winning of numerous titles, including 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League championships. He played for PSG for two seasons, scoring 32 goals in 75 official appearances. He has also scored 102 goals in 174 appearances for Argentina and led his country to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Shortly after the interview, Inter Miami also announced the signing of Messi via the club’s official Twitter page (@InterMiamiCF).
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 7, 2023
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