Lionel Messi Announces Move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami Club in MLS

ALet’s go to the land of unlimited opportunities: football star Lionel Messi wants to play for David Beckham’s US club Inter Miami in the future. The 35-year-old world champion from Argentina announced this himself on Wednesday in an interview with the two Spanish sports newspapers “Mundo deportivo” and “Sport”. “The decision has been made. I’m not going back to Barcelona, ​​I’m going to Miami,” he said.

They are not yet 100 percent in agreement and “a few things still need to be clarified. But we have decided that I will continue my path there,” he explained. He did not reveal any details, nor anything about a possible contract period with Miami. Messi’s arrival is the biggest transfer in the 27-year history of MLS, only Beckham’s move can match that, ESPN wrote. According to information from the broadcaster, it should also be about a participation option from Messi to Inter.

Beckham is one of the co-owners

After two rather emotionless years at Paris Saint-Germain, he can move to Major League Soccer on a free transfer. Nothing came of the return to FC Barcelona after two years, which many fans – and himself – longed for. The alleged offer of billions from Saudi Arabia could not seduce Messi either. After the failure of a Barcelona return, he wanted to leave Europe and move a bit out of the limelight, said Messi: He also thought about his family.

Messi would have loved to return to his former club in Barcelona. “I wanted to make my own decision and that’s why my return to Barça didn’t happen. Even if I would have liked to do it, it wasn’t possible,” said the 35-year-old in an interview with the two Spanish sports newspapers “Mundo deportivo” and “Sport”.

In particular, FC Barcelona’s financial turmoil influenced the Argentine’s decision to join David Beckham’s US club in the future. “I heard they had to sell players or lower salaries and the truth is I didn’t want that,” Messi said of the Spanish club, for which he played from his youth until mid-2021. The Argentina international hinted that he didn’t want to be blamed for Barcelona having to adjust their squad just to accommodate him.

Even if Messi will probably not return to Barcelona as a player, he can certainly imagine returning to the Catalans in another capacity in the future: “I don’t know when or what, but I hope that one day I can contribute something to the club and can help because it’s a club that I love, like I’ve always said,” explained Messi, who can also well imagine living in Barcelona with his family someday.

MLS is already looking forward to Messi

At the beginning of 2018, the founding of Inter Miami in the USA was announced as the 25th club in the MLS. In March, two years later, the team, for which Jerome Kiesewetter from Berlin also played for a short time, played its first league game. Beckham, former England star player, is one of the co-owners.

The MLS welcomed the prominent access before. “We are delighted that Lionel Messi has said he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” the league said in a statement. “Although there is still some work to finalize the contract, we look forward to welcoming one of football’s greatest-ever to our league.”