Lionel Messi announces intention to join Inter Miami in MLS

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Lionel Messi is heading to the United States to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer next season.

The surprising announcement came Wednesday, when Messi confirmed reports that he will be spurning Saudi Arabia’s reported boatloads of cash and his old Barcelona squad to play for David Beckham's co-owned Inter Miami squad.

Messi made the official announcement via Spanish publications Mundo Deportivo and Sport.

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Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain control ball during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Lorient at Parc des Princes on April 30, 2023, in Paris. (Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)

"I have made the decision that I am going to Miami. I still don't have it agreed upon 100% and a few things are needed, but well, we decided to continue my path there," Messi said.

"After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way and to enjoy the day-to-day more – obviously, with the same responsibility and desire to play well and do things well, as always, but in a calmer way."

Messi also said he wanted to make something work with Barcelona, who couldn’t resign him in 2021 due to a financial crisis.

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"Obviously, I had a lot of hope that I would be able to return [to Barcelona], but after what happened and the way I left, I didn’t want to go through the same situation and leave my future in someone else’s hands. I had to make my own decision, thinking about me and my