On Wednesday, Lionel Messi announced that he would sign with Major League Soccer team Inter Miami rather than return to Barcelona or sign a record-breaking contract to play in Saudi Arabia.
The 35-year-old Argentine forward, who spent the majority of his career at Barcelona, spent the previous two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain before leaving the club on Saturday.
On social media, MLS and Inter Miami announced the news, albeit the American league acknowledged that “work must still be done to finalize a formal agreement.”
“I’ve taken the decision that I am going to Miami, I don’t have (the deal) 100 percent sealed or maybe there’s something left to do, but we decided to continue our path there,” Messi told Spanish newspapers Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo.
“After winning the World Cup and not being able to go to Barca, it’s time to go to MLS to live football in a different way and enjoy my day to day life more.”
Messi has won the Ballon d’Or seven times and is predicted to do so again after leading Argentina to World Cup victory in Qatar in December.
After PSG announced this week that Messi, who is widely regarded as the greatest player in football history, would be leaving, the entire football world was eagerly expecting his choice.
Messi chose to join MLS, with Miami—a city he has been before—rather than the romance of a Barcelona comeback or the potential for eye-watering riches in Saudi Arabia.
“If it had been a question of money, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere,” said Messi.
“It seemed a lot of money and the truth is that my decision went another way and not for money.”
With the team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Inter Miami, co-owned by former England international David Beckham, fired coach Phil Neville last week.
According to some sources, his contract may have been influenced by major MLS sponsors Adidas and Apple TV, who also hold the league’s domestic television rights.
Messi, who will turn 36 later this month, will now wrap off his club career away from the glare of elite European football.
