SUMMARY
- Inter Miami shocked soccer fans by signing Lionel Messi on a free transfer in July 2023 and has since built their team around him.
- Inter Miami aims to sign Neymar Jr. to strengthen their team, after already signing Busquets, Alba, and Suarez.
Inter Miami’s recruitment policies have amazed soccer fans. The MLS outfit signed the Argentine talisman Lionel Messi in July 2023 on a free transfer and has since built its team around the Argentine. In doing so, Miami has targeted some of Messi’s former teammates at FC Barcelona. While the signings of Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez have helped the cause, Inter Miami wants to up the game by signing Brazilian Neymar Jr.
Neymar took a picture with a fan holding an Inter Miami jersey.
Could you imagine? 🍿 pic.twitter.com/bpzirwM033
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 17, 2024
The signing of Neymar Jr. would make perfect sense. The 30-year-old had a great time while at FC Barcelona. In his 4 years at the Catalan club, the Brazilian became one of the best players. Neymar Jr. constituted a terrifying attack with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, famously known as MSN. It is safe to say that the Brazilian’s potential move to the MLS would excite the fans.
Neymar Jr. is on Inter Miami’s wishlist
The Brazilian could be on the move to Inter Miami very soon. Inter Miami has carefully propounded their transfer policy, which has worked wonders for the club. The MLS outfit tends to benefit from the nostalgia evoked by reuniting some of FC Barcelona’s former players. It could be a perfect opportunity for Inter Miami to reunite Neymar Jr. with Luis Suarez and Messi.
This brings in huge commercial revenues to the club, in the form of shirt sales, social media growth, etc. Given the commercial backing that Neymar Jr. has, a collaboration between Inter Miami would be very likely in the future.
Inter Miami’s followers on Instagram before and after Leo Messi’s move to MLS was announced. pic.twitter.com/PkeDzkOqnq
— Leo Messi 🔟 Fan Club (@WeAreMessi) December 26, 2023
Inter Miami’s owner David Beckham had once hinted at signing the 30-year-old. He reportedly wants to sign the best players in the world for his club and confirms Neymar Jr. to be one of his top targets. He said this about the Brazilian in his Netflix documentary titled BECKHAM (via The Sun), “He’ll be playing for us one day. I want to win with the best players and the best team.”
Even Neymar had earlier publicly mentioned his desire to play in the USA. The Brazilian is almost reaching the end of his illustrious career and would like to have a final shot at soccer. If the move goes through, then the fans might have the last chance of watching Barca’s iconic 2014/15 treble-winning team play. The rumors of Neymar joining Inter Miami have surfaced after his frustrating Saudi Pro League campaign with Al-Hilal.
Neymar Jr. has had a troubling start to life in Saudi Arabia
The 30-year-old left Paris Saint Germain in the summer of 2023 to join Al-Hilal for a reported $98.6 million transfer fee. His mega contract included many perks such as a lavish mansion, elegant cars, etc. Neymar Jr.’s huge salary of $100 million a season is one of the highest in the league.
That summer, Al-Hilal signed many talented players such as Sergej Milinković-Savić, Kalidou Koulibaly, Aleksandar Mitrović, etc. Fans had expected Neymar to link up well with these players and bring glory to the reigning Saudi Pro League champions.
However, the exact opposite happened. The Brazilian’s season came to a premature end when he was on National duty. Neymar Jr. ruptured his ACL in a 2-0 loss to Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers in October 2023. The 30-year-old hasn’t featured for the club since and is a doubt for Brazil’s Copa America 2024 squad.
Neymar Jr.’s lavish lifestyle and his love for partying have also caused a stir in Saudi Arabia. His lack of professionalism and laidback attitude has frustrated Al-Hilal’s coach, Jorge Jesus who compared the Brazilian with Cristiano Ronaldo from Al-Nassr
Jorge said this about the Brazilian, “An easy player to deal with, sweet, understanding. Beyond football, I think unlike Ronaldo, Ronaldo has more passion for football, Neymar has more passion for other things, things that private life offers. As a player, he is fabulous, as a man he surprised me positively in everything.”
The coach’s assessment of Neymar Jr. in comparison to the Al-Nassr captain hints at his frustration for the former. Neymar Jr., therefore needs to fix these issues first, or else a move to MLS can be on the cards.