Author: Amrit Santlani
After a long saga, Inter Miami finally confirmed the signing of Lionel Messi on Saturday night, when the World Cup-winning Argentine signed a highly lucrative contract until the summer of 2025.
The legendary former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker signed for the Major League Soccer (MLS) club after his contract with PSG expired in June. Messi was strongly tipped to join his archrival Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, but the 36-year-old shocked the entire soccer fraternity by deciding to join David Beckham’s club.
“I’m very excited to take the next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” said Messi after making his move to the US official.
The Barcelona legend will be joined by his former teammate, Sergio Busquets, while Inter Miami are hoping to usher in a new era, as they are also trying to secure the signings of other great players such as Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez, among others.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has signed a lucrative contract with clauses that include a percentage of shirt sales as well as future appearances for MLS teams.
After enduring two difficult seasons in Paris since leaving Barça, Messi decided to challenge himself by moving outside Europe for the first time. Since emerging as a prodigy at La Masia, he has played for the La Liga giants before having to leave them in 2021 due to the Spanish league’s FFP rules, when he joined PSG.
It has been reported that Messi is expected to make his debut for Inter Miami in the League Cup match against Cruz Azul of LIGA MX on July 21, while his MLS debut could take place at a later date.
The American club have appointed former Barça coach Gerardo Tata Martino to change their fortunes, as they are bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference. On Sunday, Inter Miami suffered another 3-0 defeat and their winless streak increased to 11 games.