In the most sensational news of the calendar year, Lionel Messi has joined David Beckham’s Inter Miami in the MLS. A signing this gargantuan is bound to usher in waves of fans to the American soccer scene.
The Argentine legend reportedly turned down $1 billion to follow Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia and play for Al Hilal, rivals to Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
Against all odds, it was the Miami-based side, that trumped Al Hilal and Messi’s beloved Barça for his signature. It seems as though money was not in the equation for the world champ.
Messi can now rejoice, as his fellow Barça teammate, Sergio Busquets, will also wear Miami’s pink and black, as confirmed by Inter Miami themselves. That’s not all, though. Inter Miami is also in the market for a new left-back, and who better than Mesi’s symbiotic partner, Jordi Alba, for the job?
Whatever it is, fans of the MLS are feasting.
Where is Lionel Messi now?
Inter Miami fans are probably wondering where Messi is right now. It turns out Leo’s having the time of his life in Argentina. Messi returned to his hometown Rosario, for an exhibition match against his boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys.
Leo spent his 36th birthday playing for Argentina in ex-Newell’s winger Maxi Rodriguez’s farewell match. Maxi, 42, retired from soccer earlier this year. In a star-studded game featuring Argentine icons like Gabriel Batistuta, Pablo Aimar, and even new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, Messi showed his class.
The ex-PSG forward kicked off his 36th year with a sublime hat trick, including a gorgeous 20-yard free kick that he sent over the wall in classic Messi fashion.
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Thanks to his triumphs in Qatar late last year, Messi has ascended to a godlike status, much like his compatriot Diego Maradona. To mark the Argentine captain’s return to Rosario, he was given a standing ovation, complete with firecrackers, and even serenaded by the fans, who sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
From there, he took a quick flight to Buenos Aires, where he took part in Juan Roman Riquelme’s testimonial game, as he bid farewell to soccer. Riquelme captained his beloved Boca Juniors to a 5-3 win over a Messi-led Argentina.
Boca Juniors fans serenaded Messi as he was moved to tears
Messi was overwhelmed with emotion as fans sang a rendition of “Dale Campeon”, or “Let’s go champion”, dedicated to Leo himself, who starred in Argentina’s triumphant World Cup campaign.
What makes the moment even sweeter is the fact that it was Boca fans who were singing and cheering on Messi, one of Newell’s Old Boys’ very own. Such was the unity and love for soccer felt at that moment.
As he celebrates his triumphs with his nation and his teammates, he will also be gearing up for the next phase of his career in the MLS. Fans can expect Lionel Messi to don the colors of Inter Miami very soon, and he is expected to be in action against Cruz Azul on the 21st of July.