Lionel Messi to Inter Miami is OFFICIAL! David Beckham’s MLS team confirms the signing of a football icon

Inter Miami have finally announced the signing of Lionel Messi to confirm Major League Soccer’s worst kept secret.

Messi, who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, has signed a deal with the club through the 2025 MLS season following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.

His arrival marks a major coup for David Beckham’s Miami and for the MLS, and Messi’s arrival is expected to take the sport to new heights in the United States.

The 36-year-old, a World Cup winner with Argentina, announced his move to MLS last month, but fans finally saw pictures of him in an Inter Miami shirt on Saturday.

The club released a 40-second video to finally announce the superstar’s move, with the caption, “Yeah guys.”

He turned down a more lucrative offer from Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia, while a return to youth club Barcelona proved financially impossible.

Messi, who joins the club as a Designated Player, said: “I am very much looking forward to starting this next step in my career at Inter Miami and in the United States.

‘This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build on this great project. The idea is to work together to achieve the goals set, and I can’t wait to help here in my new home.”

Messi, who won four Champions League titles with Barca and scored 672 goals in 778 appearances for the club, is said to have been handed a $60 million a year contract by Inter Miami, including new deals with adidas and Apple.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will cash in on adidas jersey sales and Apple MLS subscriptions, while the deal is also reported to include a option that would allow him to become a co-owner of the club.

“I am honored to welcome Leo Messi and his family to their new home,” said Inter Miami manager Jorge Mas.

“In 2018, we made a commitment to build an ambitious club that would attract the best players in the world.

“A club that would transform the global image of futbol in the United States and ensure that wherever futbol is talked about, your Inter Miami is part of the conversation. A big thank you to our fans who never stopped believing. Together we will continue to make dreams come true.’

Co-owner David Beckham added on Saturday: “Ten years ago when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said I dreamed of bringing the best players in the world to this great city. to get.

“Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to grow football in the US and build a legacy for the next generation in this sport we love so much.

“Today that dream came true. I couldn’t be more proud that a player of Leo’s caliber is joining our club, but I am also delighted to welcome a good friend, a wonderful person and his wonderful family to our Inter Miami community.

“The next phase of our adventure starts here and I can’t wait to see Leo take to the field.”

Messi will work under Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino in Miami, having previously played under the veteran coach for Barca and the Argentina national team.

Former teammate Sergio Busquets has already followed Messi to Miami, with both expected to be unveiled on Sunday, while Jordi Alba is also reportedly set to join the MLS outfit.

Messi is expected to make his debut on July 21, when Inter Miami take on Mexico’s Cruz Azul. He could also play in the same Leagues Cup competition against Atlanta four days later.

“This is a historic moment for Inter Miami, MLS and futbol in the United States, both in sporting terms and in this new era of business opportunity,” said Xavier Asensi, Chief Business Officer of Inter Miami.

“Lionel is the best player of all time, which of course led to us drawing up an unprecedented agreement in the sporting world. We are extremely proud to have been able to present Leo with an extraordinary project that we are sure will benefit all parties involved.’

“Lionel Messi is an incomparable talent,” added Chris Henderson, the club’s chief football officer and sporting director. What he brings on and off the field will elevate everyone around him and we are delighted to have him at Inter Miami.”

Supporters hope that Messi and Busquets can then help boost the team in Major League Soccer.

Miami is currently bottom of the Eastern Conference, with only 18 points in 21 games.

That record leaves them 11 points behind the final playoff spot, with Messi set to be available for the last 12 regular season games.

Miami blew a lead twice in its most recent MLS game, against Wayne Rooney’s DC United team last Saturday night, to extend its winless streak to 10 games.

Nigel Robertha’s goal in the 77th minute prevented Miami from a vital win. Inter have now drawn three consecutive draws since the signing of Martino was announced.

In New York, 2,000 miles from Messi’s new home in Florida, the windows of adidas’ flagship store were lined with mock-ups of MLS’s biggest star before the move became official.

In photos captured by DailyMail.com, the sportswear giant’s Broadway location is covered in photos of Messi wearing his new Inter Miami strip, even before donning it himself.

Meanwhile, Beckham was recently filmed standing on a crane painting a huge mural of Messi on one side of a building in Miami.

Messi is enjoying a vacation ahead of his arrival in Miami, winding down in the Caribbean with his wife Antonela, before starting his new life in MLS.

There have been some suggestions that the 36-year-old could – and indeed should – receive special treatment from officials.

That’s what an MLS coach told me The athletic that the Argentine “should get the (Michael) Jordan treatment.” (He) should get every call.”

But any “Jordanian treatment” could lead MLS teams to implement their own version of the “Jordanian rules.” the Detroit Pistons concluded in the late 1980s and early 1990s that the best way to defend Jordan was to injure him and take him out of the game.

Meanwhile Robert Sibiga, the 2021 MLS Referee of the Year, said: “This is not the level of David Beckham or Zlatan (Ibrahimovic). This is another level.’

He added: “The last thing you want to be is being seen as ruining the game or allowing players who have far less talent and experience to do anything with a player like Lionel Messi.”