Sports International Lionel Messi says he’s going to MLS club Inter Miami

ARGENTINE superstar Lionel Messi said Wednesday he’s going to join the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.

I made the decision that I am going to Miami. I still haven’t closed it one hundred percent. I’m missing some things but we decided to continue my journey there,” the seven-time world player of the year said in an interview posted by Spanish outlets SPORT and Mundo Deportivo.

The blockbuster announcement comes months after Messi was awarded the Golden Ball at the World Cup – the prize given to the best player in the tournament – and catapulted his country to World Cup glory in December. It also followed rumors of a lucrative deal in the Middle East and reports of a move back to his beloved Barcelona.

Instead, Messi has chosen the path of other superstar players who moved to the MLS.

The move to David Beckham’s

Inter Miami isn’t entirely surprising. Beckham is a wellknown fan of Messi and, in 2019, teased, “You never know what can happen in football,” when asked about signing the Argentine one day.

Earlier Wednesday, the CEO and managing owner of Inter Miami tweeted a cryptic picture of a No. 10 shirt with a last name partially revealed – showing just the last two letters, “SI.”

MLS said a deal with Messi has not been completed, but welcomed the prospect of Messi playing in the league.

“We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” the league said in a Wednesday statement. “Although work remains to finalise a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our League.”

CNN has reached out to Inter essi left Barcelona in tears in 2021 after financial mismanagement at the club, exacerbated by the

Miami, Messi’s representative and David Beckham – who is part of Inter Miami’s ownership team.

There had been speculation around Messi’s next move since he announced his departure from French side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), playing his last game for the club on Saturday.

An earlier BBC report by football reporter Guillem Balague said Messi was set to turn down an offer from Saudi Arabian side AlHilal.

Covid-19 pandemic, meant it was unable to offer its talisman a new contract.

FC Barcelona, in a statement, said the player’s father and representative, Jorge Messi, informed club president Joan Laporta on Monday of his son’s decision to join Inter Miami despite an offer from the European team.

Laporta “understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” the statement said.

Laporta and the eldest Messi also agreed to work together to promote a “tribute from Barça fans to honour a footballer who has been, is, and always will be beloved by Barça.”

At PSG, Messi went on to win two Ligue 1 titles in his two seasons, but was unable to help the club win the Champions League for the first time in its history.

Messi’s time at the club ended acrimoniously after PSG suspended him for taking an unauthorised trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, for which he later apologised. (CNN)