Argentine star Lionel Messi will join Inter Miami in the North American Championship (MLS). The player announced it himself to Spanish newspapers, Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo, confirming reports from Marca and The Independent. "I've decided I'm going to Miami, I haven't 100% done (a deal) or maybe there's still things to do, but we've decided to continue our journey there" , said the multiple Ballon d'Or.
The world champion also returned to his more than mixed time at Paris SG, where he spent two pale seasons. "It was two years where I wasn't happy, I didn't like it. And it affected my family life, I missed a lot of my children's life in school. In Barcelona, I was going to look for them, here I did it much less, I shared fewer activities with them, "he said, explaining that he now intended to prioritize his family life.
Aged 35, Messi had several choices of destinations ahead of him: a return to FC Barcelona, his training club, Saudi Arabia, which has already won over Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté, or Major League Soccer in the other side of the Atlantic.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or therefore chose Inter Miami. To complete the transfer, the American club from the east coast benefited from the income generated by the agreement concluded in the spring between MLS and Apple, which offers on its Apple TV service a subscription to follow the American championship.
This agreement was signed for 2.5 billion current dollars over ten years. On Tuesday, Apple TV also announced the upcoming broadcast of a four-part documentary series, retracing the five World Cups played by Messi. Inter Miami, which is partly owned by David Beckham, has been playing in the MLS Championship since 2020. The franchise was to play overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday (Paris time) in the United States Cup.
For several months, the Argentinian had been courted by the Saudi club Al-Hilal, ready to offer him a salary of 400 million euros per season, according to several media. Saudi officials even made the trip to Paris on Sunday to try to conclude the deal, AFP had learned from sources close to the negotiations. World champion with Argentina last December, Messi still aims to play the Copa America in 2024.
