(Miami) Lionel Messi is set to make his Inter Miami debut on July 21, the owner of the MLS club, which the Argentine world champion has opted to join, said on Tuesday.
In an interview with the Miami Herald published on Tuesday, Jorge Mas said that Messi was likely to play his first match for Inter against Mexican club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, a North American competition jointly organized by MLS and the Mexican Soccer Federation.
Lionel Messi, 35, revealed on June 7 his choice to go to Miami, after two years at Paris SG. “I’ve decided I’m going to Miami, I haven’t 100% done (a deal) or maybe there’s still things to do, but we’ve decided to move on there [ …] It’s time to go to MLS and experience football in a different way,” the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner told Spanish newspapers Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo before Inter Miami confirmed the news on Twitter. .
The Miami Herald, citing a source familiar with the negotiations, revealed that Messi is joining the club on a two-and-a-half-year contract worth a maximum of US$60 million a year. The contract also provides for a stake in the club’s capital “at the end of his playing career”, according to the newspaper.
For Inter owner Jorge Mas, Messi’s arrival in MLS will be a “decisive moment” in the history of soccer in the United States. “I think there will always be a before and an after Messi when we talk about sports in the United States,” he told the Herald.
“I have a firm belief that we can create in North America and the United States, if not the greatest league, one of the two greatest leagues in the world […] The coming of the greatest world player is an important event for our championship and for the ecosystem of soccer in the United States. Lionel Messi is coming to this country to win titles and make a difference,” he added.
Inter Miami are said to be in talks to bring Sergio Busquets, Messi’s former Barcelona teammate to Florida as the names of other players have circulated – such as his former Barca partners Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez, or his compatriot Angel Di Maria.
“We have prepared our squad for the arrival of Messi in 2023, which has given us enormous room for manoeuvre,” said Jorge Mas, who is considering “between three and five additional recruits”.