World Cup champion Lionel Messi will be joining Major League Soccer starting this summer playing for Inter Miami it was announced on June 7.
The likely debut for Messi is projected to be the July 21 opening game of the Leagues Cup versus Liga MX side Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium, which sold within minutes of the announcement.
Messi, who is arguably the greatest player ever and most recently played with Paris Saint Germain, helped lead the Argentine national team to a dramatic victory in penalty kicks over France in the most recent World Cup, which was played in Qatar.
He is the all-time leading scorer for Argentina after he broke Gabriel Batistuta’s record of 55 goals in a 4-0 victory over the United States in the 2016 Copa America thanks to a 32nd-minute free-kick goal from 20 yards out that beat goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
The rumors of where Messi would play next season were numerous as the leading proposition had him ending up in Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano Ronaldo currently plays, with salary ranges mentioned anywhere between $400 to $500 million being thrown around and a final offer of three years for $1.6 billion being rejected by the soccer great.
“If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me,” the 35-year-old Messi said.
While the exact details of his contract with Inter Miami have not been made public, Messi will join a league that in recent years has made strides in matching the popularity of Liga MX and the English Premier League in terms of attracting new fans and a greater recognition domestically and internationally.
According to multiple sources, the offer to Messi includes revenue and profit-sharing deals with Apple and Adidas and would “likely include” the option to purchase a percentage of an MLS team upon the end of his time playing in the league.
Among previous big-name players that have joined MLS are current Inter Miami chairman and co-owner David Beckham, forward Zlatan Ibrahimović (both of whom played for LA Galaxy), and former French national team World Cup champion Thierry Henry who played for the New York Red Bulls.
