Soccer superstar Lionel Messi is jumping to Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, he confirmed Wednesday afternoon, shunning top European leagues and a Saudi mega-deal in a shocking move that will arguably bring the highest-profile soccer player to North American soil.
Lionel Messi addresses at Hard Rock Stadium in southern Florida last fall following an exhibition ... [+]
“I made the decision to go to Miami,” Messi told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, adding the final terms of the deal are not complete but he wants to “end his career” in MLS.
BBC contributor Guillem Balague reported Wednesday morning Messi has formally decided to next suit up for Inter Miami, which independent journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed about two hours later.
ESPN reported that the Saudi Arabian club pursuing Messi now thinks Messi will either join the Florida-based MLS side or Barcelona, his former La Liga team, citing anonymous sources, while the Athletic reported there’s “growing hope” among Inter Miami executives the team will ultimately land Messi.
Financial terms of Messi’s contract with the MLS side are unknown, but the Athletic reported Tuesday that MLS’ television partner Apple and clothing sponsor Adidas each offered Messi profit sharing agreements to sweeten the deal.
Messi was the second highest-paid athlete in the world last year, per Forbes’ calculations, as his $130 million in earnings on and off the pitch topped every athlete save for Messi’s long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed a contract with Saudi Arabian club al-Nassr in January reportedly worth more than $200 million annually.
Reports indicated Messi himself considered joining Ronaldo thanks to a massive $300 million per year deal reportedly offered by Saudi team al-Hilal.
“If it had been a question of money I would have gone to [Saudi] Arabia or another place,” Messi said to Mundo Deportivo. “The truth is that my decision was for another reason and not because of money.”
Inter Miami is the 11th-most valuable team in MLS, worth $600 million according to Forbes’ estimates in February. Billionaire Cuban-American construction tycoon Jorge Mas and English former soccer superstar David Beckham are among the team’s owners.
Considered by many to be the greatest player ever, Messi is a record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and the reigning Golden Ball winner for leading his native Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup. Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema signed with Saudi club al-Ittihad earlier this week for a reported nine-figure sum. Paris Saint-Germain, Messi’s professional side since 2021, suspended the 35-year-old last month after Messi reportedly traveled to Saudi Arabia to discuss a contract.
Inter Miami tickets for the upcoming MLS season skyrocketed in price Wednesday. Secondary ticket seller TickPick reported up to 1,000% jumps in get-in prices for the first two league games Messi would suit up for.
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