Lionel Messi joins David Beckham’s Inter Miami, snubs Saudi and Barcelona offers
Lionel Messi has put an end to months of speculation by confirming he will join Inter Miami in America’s MLS. The World Cup-winning legend had been strongly linked with a bumper contract reported being worth more than $1bn to join a team in Saudi Arabia or a romantic return to Barcelona, where he played for many years.
However, the opportunity to join Inter Miami, a club part-owned by David Beckham, was his eventual decision. “I’m going to join Inter Miami,” Messi said on Wednesday. “The decision is 100% confirmed”. His agent and father, Jorge, who had been spotted in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, will fly to the US to complete the deal.
Announcing the decision, the Argentina captain said: “If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me. The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money”.
On the subject of a return to Barcelona, he said: “I really wanted to return to Barça, I had that dream. But after what happened two years ago, I did not want to be in the same situation again, leaving my future in the hands of someone else. I didn’t want to be responsible for them to sell players or reduce salaries. I was tired”.
In the end, then, it is America and not Saudi Arabia or Spain that will be home to one of the greatest footballers ever to play the game. Although the deal is not as eye-watering large as the contract offered by Saudi Arabia, the soon-to-be former PSG player will still be handsomely rewarded.
Reports in the run-up to the announcement said MLS organisers will offer a revenue-sharing deal with Adidas and Apple TV, which broadcasts the league matches in the US. Messi may also be offered the chance to own a portion of his new club.
