Lionel Messi spurns Barcelona and Saudi Arabia to join Inter Miami in MLS

Lionel Messi has chosen his next, and possibly final, club in his wildly successful football career with the news that he will join Inter Miami of MLS.

Messi is expected to confirm the news later on Wednesday.

Messi’s decision to cross the Atlantic is somewhat of a surprise. Many believed he would follow in the footsteps of his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo and sign a lucrative deal with a club in Saudi Arabia. Others thought he would rejoin Barcelona, the club where he emerged as one of the greatest players of all time.

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But Messi has decided to head to Miami, a city where he already owns property. Inter Miami are part-owned by David Beckham, one of the few footballers who can rival Messi for global fame. The move also represents a publicity coup for MLS as it continues its push to become a major player in US sports. The last time the league attracted a player of Messi’s fame was when Beckham joined Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.

The Athletic reported on Tuesday that MLS has offered the Argentinian a revenue-sharing deal with Adidas and Apple TV+, which broadcasts the league in the US. There have also been reports that Messi, like Beckham, will be offered the chance to own an MLS team when he retires.

Messi is joining a club in flux. Inter Miami are bottom of MLS’s Eastern Conference and fired manager Phil Neville last week. They still do not have a permanent home in the city, and play at a temporary 18,000-capacity stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The team was also disciplined by MLS in 2021 for violating the league’s roster rules. However, fortunes can turn around quickly in MLS, a competition that is