After the rumors that emerged in the afternoon, Lionel Messi has revealed his future. He will play in MLS, at Inter Miami, as he confirmed in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport: “I wanted to go back to Barcelona, but it wasn’t possible. So I’d rather leave Europe and think more about my family. I didn’t consider consideration of other offers, if it had depended on the money I would have gone to Arabia”. Barcelona: “We understand his decision. We work for a tribute to the fans”
Messi goes to America. The Argentine forward confirmed the rumors that emerged in Spain this afternoon in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport. He will play in MLS for Inter Miami, David Beckham’s team. Never considered the Saudi hypothesis like Ronaldo and Benzema, the Argentine’s desire was to return home, to Barcelona: “I haven’t closed 100% yet. There are no details but I have decided to continue my journey in Miami. I’m leaving Europe, I had offers from other teams but I didn’t even evaluate them because my idea was to go to Barcelona and if it wasn’t possible I would have left European football. After winning the World Cup, I want to end my career in America, living differently. have much more fun, day after day, with the same responsibility of wanting to win but with greater peace of mind and less pressure”.
“Things have been said about me and Barcelona that are not true”
Messi explained why his return to the Blaugrana did not materialize despite his wishes: “I was excited to be able to return, but it was not possible and I didn’t want to relive the situation of two years ago. The club should have sold players and asked others to lower their salaries. I wanted to be more relaxed and not have the responsibility of having to deal with something that involved all of this. Even the last time La Liga had accepted my membership, but in the end it wasn’t possible and I didn’t want to relive all that bullfighting. Already too many untrue things have been said about my relationship with Barclelona. In the end I made a decision to be calmer, to think more about my family. I’m coming from two bad years on a personal level despite winning the World Cup, I wanted to find fun with my children every day”.
“It’s been a tough two years, but that’s the past now…”
The direct line with Barcelona has never been interrupted in these two years: “I have continued to follow the team over these two years and above all to listen to Xavi. We discussed and analyzed the matches, I only spoke with Laporta a couple of times”. The link with Barcelona is counterbalanced by the one that never blossomed with the Paris Saint Germain: “The first year was very difficult for several reasons. The second year, during the first six months, I felt very, very good, very comfortable in the club, in the city, with my family. In between there was the World Cup and I think that the World Cup marked all the teams in general, it marked the season a little, with such an important competition in the middle for the first time, I think it conditioned the season a lot. I expected it to end differently, they’ve been two difficult years, but that’s the past now…”.
“Never talked about money, otherwise I would have gone to Arabia”
The transfer to America and the non-return to Barcelona do not depend on questions of engagement: “Money has never been a problem or obstacle for me. If it had been for those, I would have gone to Arabia or elsewhere. With Barça we didn’t even get to talking about money. The truth that Barcelona, today, weren’t in a position to make me come back. My story with Barça is an open wound… I haven’t been able to greet people as I would have liked, as I think I deserved. I was the bad guy in the movie and that wasn’t it. That’s why I would have liked a real goodbye. But one day I will come back to live in Barcelona. It’s one of the things we’ve already decided with my wife and kids. I don’t know when but I will be back and one day I would love to go back to helping the club I love. My family was excited to return immediately, but they are supporting me in this decision now.”
Barcelona statement: “Messi was, is and will always be loved”
Barcelona issued a statement following Messi’s announcement: “Jorge Messi, the player’s father and representative, has informed the club president, Joan Laporta, of the player’s decision to sign for Inter Miami despite a proposal presented by Barça in response to the expressed will both from FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi to go back to dressing as azulgrana. President Laporta understood and respected the decision made by Messi of wanting to compete in a championship with less pretensions and further away from the attention and pressure to which he has been subjected in recent years. Both Joan Laporta and Jorge Messi have also agreed to work together to organize a great tribute from the Barcelona fans to a footballer who he was, is and always will be loved by Barça“.
The Messi effect, skyrocketing tickets
Its arrival is not official yet but theMessi effect it is already felt on the Inter Miami world and, specifically, on the cost of tickets. Tickets to the Cruz Azul game on July 21 soared from $29 to $329, tickets to the New York Red Bulls game on August 26 from $30 to $401, Los Angeles FC tickets on September 3 even $81 to $422 (this could be the Argentinian’s debut match)
The history of Inter Miami
Inter Miami (short for Club Internacional de Futbol Miami) was born in 2018, after MLS had announced six years earlier that it wanted to assign a franchise to the city of Miami. It was David who seized the opportunity Beckhamclub president and owner together with the brothers George and Jose Mas, entrepreneurs in the engineering and construction sector. The club played their first season in MLS in 2020, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference. Currently the Heronsafter 16 games played, are last in the Eastern Conference, so much so that it has arrived in recent days the sacking of head coach Phil Neville. Among the players in the squad there is also an old acquaintance of Italian football: è Joseph MartinezVenezuelan striker who wore the Torino shirt from 2014 to 2017.
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