Messi Confirms MLS Rumors Once and For All: ‘I Am Going to Go to Miami’

By Ahmad AustinJun 7th, 2023, 4:31 pm
 
Lionel Messi

Martin Rickett/AP

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly put an end to the speculation and confirmed he will be joining Inter Miami in the MLS.

He did so during a press conference with Mundo Deportivo and Sport.

“I made the decision that I am going to go to Miami,” he said. “I still haven’t closed it one hundred percent. I’m missing some things but we decided to continue the path.”

Earlier Tuesday, the MLS team was confirmed by sources to be one of the favorites to land arguably the sport’s best player. According to the sources, Messi was stuck between Inter Miami and FC Barcelona, the club where he spent his first 17 seasons as a professional.

Messi said he still remains close with members of the club, but the circumstances just wouldn’t allow him to return to his first professional home.

“I’ve been supporting Barca during the year, I’m a fan,” Messi said. “I spoke to Xavi (Hernandez) a lot, we discussed and we always had frequent exchanges.

“I really wanted to return to Barca, I had that dream. But after what happened two years ago, I did not want to be in the same situation again, leaving my future in the hands of someone else. I wanted to take my own decision, thinking of me and my family.”

When it was announced Messi would not be returning to Paris Saint-Germain, Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal SC reportedly offered him a contract totaling more than a billion dollars. He said money wasn’t a factor in his decision.

“If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Arabia or elsewhere,” Messi said. “It seemed like a lot of money to me.

“The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money.”

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