Inter Miami will introduce the Argentine superstar on Sunday night at its stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Lionel Messi has ended his contract to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuit, Inter Miami has landed a global icon.
Messi’s contract became official on Saturday, just over five weeks after he announced he would be joining Inter Miami.
“I am very happy to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” said Messi, who is moving from Paris Saint-Germain, in a statement.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the goals we set, and I really want to start helping here in my new home,” he said.
The team will introduce the Argentine superstar on Sunday night at their stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the first home game of the Messi era could be as early as Friday – a League Cup match against Cruz Azul.
BIENVENIDO 1️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/df1TJQQoYv
– Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 15, 2023
A formal press conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced that Messi’s contract will be for two and a half seasons and will pay him between $50m and $60m per year – putting the total value of the deal between $125m and $150m in cash alone .
“BIENVENIDO 10,” the team posted Saturday on Twitter.
Welcome, Messi, of course.
It is, in many ways, an unusual marriage. Messi – perhaps the game’s biggest star yet – signs with a team that entered Saturday in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings.
Inter Miami is a club in its fourth season that has never won a championship, and will play in a temporary home that will only hold about 22,000 people when some quick updates like being adding additional seats to the end.
“We are delighted that the greatest player in the world has chosen Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our League and our sport in North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement.
“We have no doubt that Lionel will show the world that MLS can be the League of Choice for the best players in the game.”
The 36-year-old striker, who inspired Argentina to World Cup glory last year in Qatar, has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, after long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo move to the kingdom.
It was another opportunity to go back to Barcelona, a club with a story where he spent most of his career.
In the end, Miami won. An idea that co-owner David Beckham began floating publicly in 2021 – two years before, apparently, the team started thinking about how to pull this off – is now on become a reality.
Messi is a four-time Champions League winner and his 129 goals in the club’s top competition is second only to Ronaldo’s 140. Messi has won 10 La Liga titles and two Ligue 1 championships, seven Copa del Reys and three Club World Cups as well as a Copa América and an Olympic gold medal for Argentina.
