Lionel Messi is headed to Major League Soccer to play with Inter Miami CF, he confirmed Wednesday following widespread speculation about his future.
The soccer superstar, 35, made the decision following rumored interest by teams including Barcelona, whom he played with for nearly two decades, and the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.
“I made the decision that I am going to go to Miami,” Messi told the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo. “I still haven’t closed it one hundred percent.”
It will be Messi’s first time playing professionally for a club outside of Europe. The 5-7 forward, whose contract with the French club Paris Saint-Germain F.C. ends this month, led his native Argentina to its first World Cup title since 1986 (and third overall) last year in Qatar.
“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said.
Messi racked up 474 goals and 191 assists in 519 LaLiga games with Barcelona from 2004 to 2021. He’s scored 22 goals in 58 Ligue 1 matches during his two-season stint with PSG, which began in 2021. He has represented Argentina in five World Cups, scoring 13 goals in 26 matches.
He joins an Inter Miami team that currently sits in last place in the Eastern Conference. The club fired coach Phil Neville last week.
“We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” the MLS said in a statement. “Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our League.”
Inter Miami is co-owned by fellow global icon David Beckham, who also serves as the club’s president. The English-born Beckham made his own high-profile move to the MLS toward the end of his career. He played with the L.A. Galaxy from 2007 to 2012 after more than two decades in Europe, including a lengthy stint with Manchester United.
Beckham played his final season in 2013 with PSG.
Spanish-born striker David Villa, a former Barcelona teammate of Messi, was the face of NYCFC when it joined the MLS in 2015. He played four seasons with the club.
Messi’s move comes months after fellow soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo debuted with the Saudi team Al-Nassr FC.
On Tuesday, Apple — which owns MLS streaming rights — announced a four-part Messi documentary series. Messi’s negotiations to join the U.S. league have involved a revenue share of the company’s MLS Season Pass streaming platform, according to ESPN.
