Author: Amrit Santlani
Argentinian World Cup winner Lionel Messi has once again been linked with his boyhood club FC Barcelona and a move to the Saudi Arabian Professional League. However, the chance of Messi leaving Inter Miami on loan is almost impossible, as the 36-year-old will go on vacation for a month after the Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign ends.
Inter Miami suffered a 0-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati on Saturday and, with the loss, Tata Martino’s side can no longer qualify for the play-offs. This means that Messi and other players will see their campaign come to an end on October 21.
Since September, Messi has only played 72 minutes for his new club due to injury and it looks like he won’t be loaned out after all.
Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has confirmed that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will move to Barcelona or the Saudi Pro League after Inter Miami’s MLS campaign ends. Instead, he’ll have a month’s vacation.
Argentina will face Uruguay and Brazil in FIFA World Cup qualifiers on November 17 and 22, after which Messi will go on vacation and return for pre-season with Miami ahead of the new MLS campaign, scheduled to begin in February 2024.
“Messi will have about a month’s vacation, like other footballers. So forget any move to Saudi Arabia or anything similar“said Balague.
After the defeat to Cincinnati, Tata Martino was asked about the speculation surrounding Messi, to which the Argentinian replied: “That’s surprising. I don’t know anything about that”.
“If you’re telling me that he’s going to visit Barcelona on vacation, yes, it’s likely, but I don’t have any information about the other party,” added the veteran.
The soccer legend helped Inter Miami win their first League Cup title in August, before helping the club reach the final of the US Open Cup, but Messi missed out on the final due to an injury that resulted in Miami’s defeat.
In total, the former Barcelona striker scored 11 goals in 13 games, but only one of them came in five MLS matches.