Lionel Messi Heads to MLS, Joins Inter Miami

One of the greatest football players the world has ever seen – and several would argue that absolute greatest – is heading to South Florida. In an interview with Spanish-language Mundo Deportivo on Wednesday.

Before we move on, don’t forget to check our Champions League, Women’s World Cup, and MLS odds for plenty of football action.

Lionel Messi Joins Inter Miami

After months of speculation, Argentinian Lionel Messi will be playing for Inter Miami. This is the least expected outcome out of everything that has been discussed in the media. There was talk about returning to Barcelona in La Liga where he won most of his honours, but the club has had a world of financial issues, making that move more difficult than Messi would have liked.

Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal made a pitch too. They, it is safe to say, had no financial qualms and were willing to provide the former PSG player with a king’s ransom. However, it was the allure of the United States that attracted him most when all the chips were laid on the table. It should be noted that the Inter Miami team is partly owned by former footballer David Beckham.

Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and recently World Cup champion, elaborated on what the past two years in Paris were like. It’s important to note here that in the summer of 2021, Barca and Messi were very close to agreeing on an extension.

“We (Messi and his family) never, ever wanted to come to Paris. It was very, very, very difficult, but the family supports me and it is a collective decision, not only mine. There is a tinge of sadness for them now, because while it was hard for them at the beginning, they are now more adapted to Paris.”

It wasn’t as though his time in the French capital was completely wasted. He helped Paris Saint Germain win back-to-back Ligue 1 titles. On the flip side, PSG were always ready owning the French top-flight division before his arrival. The main objective was to win the Champions League. To that effect, the experiment was a failure as PSG were knocked out of the Round of 16 in both his seasons there.

Messi elaborates:

“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barca, it was time to go to the American league to experience football in a different way and enjoy the day-to-day, obviously with the same responsibility and desire to win.”

MLS’s Messi Boost

Continuously looking to attract great players to promote itself and improve the quality of the game, the MLS has been successful in this regard. Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Didier Drogba, to name a few over the years. As great as those players were, nothing compares to Lionel Messi arriving in North America.

Only 35 years old, Messi is still playing like a champion. He was the catalyst for Argentina winning the World Cup last December and scored 16 goals in 32 domestic league matches for PSG in 2022-2023. Miami, incidentally in last place in the East standings at the time of the announcement, are getting arguably the greatest player to ever put on cleats who can still take over a game.