Lionel Messi 'very excited' to start next chapter at Inter Miami

Lionel Messi said he was "excited" to start the next chapter in his career after finalising his move to Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.

The Argentine superstar officially signed with the MLS side on Saturday and is set to be unveiled in a Sunday ceremony and expected to join Inter Miami on the pitch by Friday.

Free agent Messi, 36, has penned a contract through to the 2025 season. The former Barcelona forward joins after two years at Paris Saint-Germain.

"I'm very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States," Messi said in a statement.

"This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project.

"The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set and I'm very eager to start helping here in my new home."

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The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's arrival in Miami has already caused a sensation and is expected to spark greater interest in the game and MLS across the United States.

Messi's presence on the pitch can not come soon enough at Miami as the team sit bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference and suffered an 11th successive defeat on Saturday when they lost aways to St Louis City 3-0 on Saturday.

Messi's debut match is planned for Friday when Inter Miami will host Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, a revamped competition between MLS and Mexican league squads.

It's the biggest boost for MLS since English star David Beckham, now a co-owner of Inter Miami, joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. He launched the MLS Miami squad in 2020 after years of trying to find a stadium site.

"Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest