“I made the decision that I was going to go to MiamiLionel Messi, on June 7, 2023, said: “If it was about money, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or somewhere else. It seemed like a large amount of money to me, and the truth is that my decision was for the sake of the other party and not for the money.
After his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired last summer, there were reports that Messi would return to Barcelona. However, the club's questionable financial situation made his return impossible, so he packed his bags for South Florida and began a new adventure with Inter Miami.
A year after this bombshell announcementWe take a look at Messi's first year in the American League…
Phrases about Messi's move to Inter Miami
Despite continued talk of interest from Major League Soccer, and a history of European stars moving to the US to end their careers, the confirmation came as a shock to fans around the world. Former club Barcelona were hoping to tempt Messi back to Camp Nou and issued a club statement in response to his MLS decision:
“President Laporta understands and respects Messi's decision to want to compete in a league with lower requirementsHe stayed away from the spotlight and pressure he had been exposed to in recent years.
It is understood that Inter Miami president David Beckham was most enthusiastic about Messi's decision. In an interview with Agence France-Presse, he described the signing as a “gift”:
“It's a very proud thing for me to be an owner, to have a player like that, the best player in the world, on our team… We always knew that bringing Leo to America, not just to Miami, It was our gift to America and Major League Soccer“.
Former MLS and USMNT star Coby Jones was quite excited about Messi's impending arrival, describing it as a game-changer for the league:
“This turns everything upside down as you will have another level. It was David Beckham who started that first wave of players and international players who said: 'Hey, I'll start coming again.' This will happen again on another level with Messi.
Statistics and titles of Lionel Messi with Inter Miami
When Lionel Messi agreed to sign with Inter Miami, he was joining a team stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, which had recently fired its coach and had never won a title. Messi's commercial impact was expected, but few expected his impact on the pitch to be as historic.
His first seven matches for Inter Miami came in the League Cup, where he scored ten goals and led the team to its first title. Miami's MLS hopes for 2023 were remote when he joined and they failed to reach the playoffs, but Messi will waste little time making his impact known in 2024.
So far this season he has contributed 14 goals and 11 assists in 15 matches, an impressive rate of production. Overall I was floored 25 goals and 16 assists in his first 29 games with Inter Miami, a truly historic production from the 36-year-old. He is a scorer, assist provider and the focus of the team's build-up play.
Just one year after joining Inter Miami, he has already lifted the club's first title and led them to the CONCACAF Champions Cup for the first time. He became the first MLS player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing in the league and, incredibly, is now just four goals short of Inter Miami's record. Quite the first year for Lionel Andres Messi.
