Lionel Messi said on Wednesday that he will sign with Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. He rejected the chance to return to Barcelona or a lucrative offer to play in Saudi Arabia for his next stop. Instead, he chose to move to the United States.
Former England international David Beckham is a co-owner of Inter Miami, which was created in 2018. Last week, Inter Miami fired coach Phil Neville as the team sat last in the Eastern Conference.
After transferring from Barcelona in 2021, where he spent the majority of his career, the Argentine forward, 35, spent the last two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain and played his final match for the team on Saturday.
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However, the American league pointed out that MLS and Inter Miami both confirmed the announcement on social media saying, “work remains to finalise a formal agreement.”
Speaking with Spanish Newspapers’ Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo, Messi who turns 36 later this month said, “I’ve taken the decision that I am going to Miami; I don’t have the deal 100 per cent sealed, or maybe there’s something left to do, but we decided to continue our path there.
“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.”
Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner led Argentina to World Cup Victory in Qatar in December.
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