Lionel Messi To Join Inter Miami After PSG Exit

Argentina football legend Lionel Messi (35) is headed to Inter Miami following his recent exit from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain.

The 7th time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion has confirmed his next destination as Miami, USA. The Miami deal includes collaboration from brands like Adidas and Apple.

“I’ve taken the decision that I am going to Miami,” Messi told newspapers Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo.

He added: “It’s true that I had offers from another European team but I didn’t even think about it because in Europe, my idea was only to go to Barcelona.

“After winning the World Cup and not being able to go to Barca, it’s time to go to MLS to live football in a different way and enjoy my day to day life more.

“Obviously with the same responsibility and desire to win, and to do things well, but with more calm.”

Messi turned down a more lucrative offer from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia which would see him earning €400 a season excluding endorsement and commercial deals.

While many were hopeful of a Barcelona return, the Financial Fair Play (FFP) limitations seem to still be in the way, despite the recent nod Barcelona’s plan received from La Liga.

The Spanish club were unable to keep Messi in 2021, leading to a tearful news conference as he left the Nou Camp and signed for PSG.

“I was afraid that it would happen again,” he said.

“I really wanted, I was very excited to be able to return [to Barcelona], but after having experienced what I experienced and the exit I had, I did not want to be in the same situation again – waiting to see what was going to happen.

“I heard that they had to sell players or lower players’ salaries and the truth is that I didn’t want to go through that, nor take charge of obtaining something that had to do with all that.”

Barcelona later released a statement saying Messi had chosen a Miami move over an offer from the Catalan club.

“President [Joan] Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” it added.

Messi said he had chatted with close friend Xavi, the Barcelona manager, about returning to the club but “very little, once or twice at most” with president Joan Laporta.

“We were very excited, because when something came out we would discuss if he really wanted me to come back, if it was good for the team and for him, and we kept in communication,” Messi said.

“We never even got to talk about the contract. A proposal was passed over, but never a formal, written, signed proposal, because there was still nothing and we did not know if it was going to be possible or not.

“There was the intention, but we couldn’t advance anything, we didn’t even talk about money formally.

“If it had been a matter of money I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere.”