‘I’m not going back to Barca, I’m going to Inter Miami’: Lionel Messi breaks his silence to CONFIRM blockbuster MLS move – and says he’s made the decision to ‘step out of the spotlight’ with his family
- Lionel Messi has confirmed his groundbreaking move to MLS side Inter Miami FC
- It comes after he rejected moves to Saudi Arabia and former club Barcelona
- Messi chose not to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this season
Lionel Messi has confirmed he will move to Inter Miami FC in a deal that reportedly includes an option for the Argentine to become part owner of the MLS squad.
There has been much speculation over the 35-year-old’s next move in recent weeks, with Messi closely linked with a move to both Saudi Arabia and Barcelona.
But it looks like he has finally come to a decision, despite being reportedly offered a mammoth £2bn deal that would have allowed him to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
The World Cup winner has also been heavily linked with a fairy-tale return to his former side, Barcelona, but despite the financial struggles at the LaLiga giants, Messi has instead opted for a move to Inter Miami.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo he said: ‘I’m not going back to Barça, I’m going to Inter Miami.’
Lionel Messi has confirmed he will move to Inter Miami to turn down Barcelona and Saudi Arabia
Inter Miami general manager Jorge Mas tweeted this photo five minutes before the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner made his announcement
Messi (left) now joins MLS squad owned by David Beckham (center)
Mail Sport understands that Messi, who won four Champions League titles with the Blaugrana and scored 672 goals in 778 appearances for the club, will be offered a lucrative contract with the MLS club, including deals with adidas.
ESPN also reports that its deal with the US side is a option that would allow him to become a co-owner of the football club and a portion of Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass subscriber revenue.
His father, Jorge, had reportedly met with Barcelona president Joan Laporte earlier this week, but it seems Messi did not want to return to his old club.
Speaking of rumors he could return to Barcelona, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner said: “I really wanted [to return to Barcelona]I was very excited to be able to return, but after experiencing what I went through and the exit I had, I didn’t want to be in the same situation again: wait and see what happened and leave my future in the hands of another.
“I wanted to make my own decision, thinking about myself, about my family. Although I heard it was said that LaLiga had accepted everything and that everything was fine for him to return, there were many other things that needed to be done.
‘I heard them [Barcelona] had to sell players or cut player salaries and the truth is I didn’t want to go through that nor be in charge of getting anything to do with it’.
“I’ve been accused of a lot of things that weren’t true in my career at Barcelona and I was already a bit tired, I didn’t want to experience any of that. And well, the time I had to leave, LaLiga also accepted that they signed me up and in the end it was not possible.
“Well, I was afraid that the same thing would happen again and I had to experience the bullfight as it happened, that I had to come here to Paris and stay in a hotel with my family for a long time, while my children went to Paris. to school and still in the hotel… I wanted to make my own decision and that’s why it was a bit that I didn’t turn to Barça. While I would have loved it, I couldn’t.
“I’m also at a point where I want to get a little out of focus, think more about my family. Like I just said, I spent two years on a family level that was so bad I didn’t enjoy it. I had the month that was spectacular for me because I won the World Cup, but it was a difficult stage for me to remove it.”
More to follow…