The seven-time Ballon d’Or has chosen Inter Miami, several media report, including the Spanish newspaper. brandthe British daily The Independent and the BBC channel, quoting the author of a biography on Leo Messi, Guillem Balague, and the generally well-informed freelance journalist Fabrizio Romano. After leaving Paris SG, where he spent two pale seasons, the 35-year-old world champion had several choices of destinations ahead of him: a return to FC Barcelona, his training club, Saudi Arabia, which already seduced Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté, or Major League Soccer on the other side of the Atlantic.
Messi ‘not happy’ in PSG shirt
This information was confirmed by the interested party himself. “I’ve decided I’m going to Miami, I don’t have 100% (a deal) done or maybe there are things left to do, but we’ve decided to continue our journey there” , the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner told Argentine newspapers, Sports Diario And Mundo Deportivo. Leo Messi also admitted he was ‘not happy’ in Paris, where he spent two seasons.
“It was two years where I wasn’t happy, I didn’t like it. And it was affecting my family life, I was missing a lot of my children’s life at school. In Barcelona, I was going to them. search, here I did it much less, I shared fewer activities with them”, he said, explaining that he now intended to prioritize his family life.
Agreement reached in the spring between MLS and Apple
To complete the transfer, the American club from the East Coast benefited from the income generated by the agreement concluded in the spring between MLS and Apple, which offers a subscription to follow the American championship on its Apple TV+ service. This agreement was signed for 2.5 billion current dollars over ten years. On Tuesday, Apple TV + also announced the upcoming broadcast of a four-part documentary series, retracing the five World Cups played by Messi.
Inter Miami, which is partly owned by David Beckham, has been playing in the MLS championship since 2020. The franchise was to play overnight from Wednesday to Thursday (Paris time) in the United States Cup.
The Argentinian was courted by the Saudi club Al-Hilal
For several months, the Argentinian had been courted by the Saudi club Al-Hilal, ready to offer him a salary of 400 million euros per season, according to several media. Saudi officials even made the trip to Paris on Sunday to try to conclude the deal, AFP had learned from sources close to the negotiations. World champion with Argentina last December, Messi still aims to play the Copa America in 2024.