The sporting world was on pins and needles last week, waiting to know where one of the greatest football (soccer) players of all time, Lionel Messi, would be playing next season. In a surprising move, Messi chose Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. Messi had offers from Saudi Arabia clubs for up to a billion dollars over three years, and from his former club, FC Barcelona. However, Messi ultimately decided to take his unbelievable left foot to South Beach.
In the summer of 2021, Messi was told that he had to leave Barcelona, his home for the past seventeen years. Messi tallied up 470 goals in 520 appearances for Barca, having won the Champions league four times. After his forced departure, Messi decided to join powerhouse Paris Saint Germain in the summer of 2021.
Messi appeared in 58 games and scored 22 goals for PSG, but he was not the same player in Paris. Perhaps a move to Miami will bring out the brilliance fans have seen at Barcelona for so many years.
After being in the world’s spotlight for so long, Messi wanted to get out of it and just play the sport he loves. “I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami,” Messi said during an interview with Sport and Mundo Deportivo. “I still haven’t closed it 100% percent. I’m missing some things, but we decided to continue on the path. If the Barcelona thing didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more of my family.”
The MLS is nowhere near the pressure stress that Europe is and Messi, now thirty-five, wants to be able to just play the sport he loves and take care of his family in peace. Inter Miami is last in the eastern conference, but they are only six points away from a playoff spot, and with Messi, they have a good chance of turning this season around.
Messi, however, cannot join Miami until the July fifth transfer window opens for the MLS. Messi’s track record and stats show that he can have a massive impact. Messi tallied 507 goals in 610 appearances in his club career, adding 118 goals for his country Argentina. Messi will prove to be a goalscoring threat that Miami desperately needs to turn around this season.
However, Messi is not just a goal scorer. The way he dictates possessions and sets his teammates up, along with the knowledge he has for the game and the people around him, makes him a huge threat. It will also make Miami a scary team to watch over the last half of the season. The deal is not yet complete as the league, Miami and Messi have some things to finalize. When the move is done, it could be considered the biggest signing in American sports history.
Messi will have his work cut out for him as he goes to a team with not only one of the worst records in the league, but also one of the worst offenses. Although Messi has never run from a challenge, this could be the most challenging move of his career.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10