Lionel Messi ended his tenure at PSG after a few turbulent years and has reportedly joined David Beckham’s MLS club Inter Miami. The World Cup winner moved to France in 2021, after La Liga’s financial rules meant that he couldn’t continue with Barcelona. A return to Spain has been mentioned, but it looks like Barca’s best efforts have proven to be of no use.
🚨🚨 BREAKING: Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, here we go! The decision has been made and it will be announced by Leo in the next hours #InterMiami
🇺🇸 Messi will play in MLS next season. No more chances for Barcelona despite trying to make it happen.
𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𝐎#Messi #MLS pic.twitter.com/UYqemodrxk
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 7, 2023
Messi joined PSG along with Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos to form a ‘super team.’ Despite boasting a world-class squad on paper, the Ligue 1 giants could not replicate their domestic success in the UEFA Champions League. PSG lost to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 of the UCL in 2021/22 and 2022/23 respectively.
🚨🚨| Official: PSG announce the departure of Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷✅ pic.twitter.com/q7KpygATEp
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) June 3, 2023
The Argentine international was unable to lead PSG to a UCL title despite forming a pacy attack with the likes of Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe. It must be mentioned that the trio also went through their fair share of drama with each other. Many speculated that Messi was in the middle of a rift with Mbappe, but it was never confirmed.
As the summer approached, the former Barcelona man didn’t reach a contract agreement with the Paris-based club and eventually decided it was time to finally end his career at PSG. It must be mentioned that just a few weeks ago, Messi went on an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, resulting in a suspension. He was forced to take complete responsibility for his actions.
🚨 Leo Messi actually turned down €1 BILLION to play in Saudi Arabia.
No matter what you think of him, you have to admire that. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/6Qzku1Wgar
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) June 7, 2023
The actual value of the soccer legend’s contract with the club has not been disclosed. After all, it has just been a few hours since the reports have emerged. However, several sources claim that Messi rejected an offer worth more than $1 billion from Saudi Arabia. It isn’t all that surprising to witness the lucrative contracts the Middle Eastern clubs offer influential players, after what happened with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami contract includes add-ons
Apart from a huge figure, David Beckham and Co. reportedly offered Messi to be a shareholder of Adidas, Apple, and eventually the club as well. This would be a huge boost to Messi’s net worth, considering the boom these entities experience depending on their market progress.
🚨🚨💣| Inter Miami’s offer to Leo Messi includes:
• A percentage of profit share from Adidas.
• A percentage of profit share from Apple.
• Acquisition of a part of Inter Miami’s shares after his retirement.@TheAthleticFC [🎖️] pic.twitter.com/F4duAxZhLV— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) June 7, 2023
If the reports are proven to be true, Messi could well and truly join the billionaire club that no other soccer player is a part of. Moreover, he could leave his long-term rival Ronaldo in the dust as well.
Fans have been eager to witness Messi don the Inter Miami jersey. David Beckham recently sacked his former Man Utd teammate Phil Neville, who served as the head coach since January 2021. They currently sit in 15th in the MLS, after winning just 5 out of 16 games. It would be interesting to see if Messi could help them to a higher position.
They are 8 points off the playoff spot and are just 4 points behind Charlotte, who sit in 9th. As per the MLS’ playoff system, the 8th and 9th teams from each conference would make it to a wild-card round, and the winner will play against the 1st-seeded team. Inter Miami could be out of playoff contention, but they are still in domestic cup competitions.
They will be facing Birmingham Legion FC in the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Unfortunately, fans will not be able to witness Messi play. The Argentine forward could make his MLS debut against New England on June 11. The following match against Philadelphia is also an away game. On July 2, Lionel Messi could make his home debut at the Drive Pink Stadium against Austin.