Lionel Messi didn't choose Inter Miami to go on vacation, new manager says

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When Lionel Messi made the decision to head to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, it wasn’t just to head to a sunny destination, his new manager said. 

Gerardo "Tata" Martino was named the new Inter Miami manager, and during an introductory press conference on Thursday, he discussed Messi and Sergio Busquets – two players he coached during their time together on the Argentina national team – coming to Miami to further their soccer careers. 

He admitted Miami is usually a vacation destination for a lot of players around the world, but they’re ready to compete. 

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Gerardo Martino, coach of Mexico, looks on during the World Cup Group C match between Saudi Arabia and Mexico at Lusail Stadium on November 30, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar. (Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)

"When we spoke with Leo, yesterday I spoke with Sergio, we talked about arriving to have success, to compete and compete well," Martino said via the New York Post. 

"This happens to us even on a personal level, sometimes we associate the United States, Miami, holidays — this isn’t that. We want to compete."

LIONEL MESSI ANNOUNCES INTENTION TO JOIN INTER MIAMI IN MLS

For Messi, he decided to go to Inter Miami despite Saudi Arabia offering loads of money to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in their top league. Barcelona, his old club, was also interested in a reunion but didn’t have the financials to land him. 

Once Messi and Busquets made their intentions known to join Inter Miami, it was rumored that Martino was going to be the man to manage them due to their past relationship. He was the MLS coach of the year in