With the conclusion of his contract with Paris St-Germain, Lionel Messi has officially declared for MLS side Inter Miami, turning down an insanely lucrative offer to sign with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal as well as the opportunity for his homecoming return to Barcelona FC in the process.
“I’ve taken the decision that I am going to Miami,” football’s reigning GOAT confirmed to newspapers Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo (via BBC).
Messi added: “It’s true that I had offers from another European team but I didn’t even think about it because in Europe, my idea was only to go to Barcelona.”
“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… Obviously with the same responsibility and desire to win, and to do things well, but with more calm.”
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Limitations imposed by the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, of course, have been a key obstacle preventing Messi from returning to Barcelona FC. Although the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner maintains it’s a little more complex than that.
“I heard that [Barcelona FC] had to sell players or lower the salaries of players and the truth is that I didn’t want to go through that, nor be responsible or have anything to do with all that,” Messi explained.
“If it had been a question of money I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed a lot of money and the truth is that my decision went another way and not for money.”
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That being said, the man isn’t going to be lacing up for peanuts.
Inter Miami, which is partially owned by club president David Beckham, has reportedly enticed Lionel Messi with a “layered offer” comprised of the following:
- a roster spot immune to the limits of MLS salary regulations (exact figures TBA)
- an ownership stake in Inter Miami once he retires from the field (exact percentage TBA)
- revenue-sharing agreements with both Adidas and Apple (MLS Season Pass profits)
And all this juice will certainly be worth the squeeze. Already, the Messi effect has kicked in.
As per Bleacher Report, the cheapest ticket for Inter Miami’s July 21st match before the Argentinian icon signed was just $29. The cheapest ticket for the same match now? $467.
