Lionel Messi chose the MLS and snubbed a move to Saudi Arabia
Messi on Wednesday announced he will sign for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, choosing the United States as his next destination over a Barcelona reunion or blockbuster deal to play in Saudi Arabia.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, has spurned a highly lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, choosing to instead ply his trade with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
The blockbuster announcement came after months of intense speculation about whether the 35-year-old might return to his beloved Barcelona, the Spanish club he relocated to join as a teenager but reluctantly left in 2021. It always appeared unlikely, however, given the club's longstanding problem of getting to grips with La Liga's Financial Fair Play rules.
It was widely thought that Messi, who led Argentina to victory at last year's World Cup, would opt to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia after parting ways with French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Unexpectedly, Messi on Wednesday said that he'd chosen the Miami franchise.
"I made the decision that I'm going to go to Miami," Messi revealed in an interview with Spanish news outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport, according to a translation.
"I still haven't closed it 100%. I'm still missing a few things, but we decided to go ahead. If Barcelona didn't work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more about my family."
Messi said that he felt the time had come to join the U.S. league "to experience football in a different way and enjoy the day-to-day."
He added, "Obviously, with the same responsibility and desire to want to win and to always do things well. But with more peace of mind."
Source: CNBC
