Lionel Messi picks Inter Miami, giving Major League Soccer its biggest superstar ever

After months of frenzied speculation, Messi chose America over an offer from Saudi Arabia worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year, and over a potential return to his beloved Barcelona.

Lionel Messi comes to MLS months after his long-awaited World Cup title crowned him as the planet's best soccer player.Read moreManu Fernandez / AP

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Updated June 7, 2023, 3:58 p.m. ET

Published June 7, 2023, 9:33 a.m. ET

One of Major League Soccer’s all-time dreams came true Wednesday, when Lionel Messi, soccer’s most famous superstar and arguably its greatest-ever player, agreed to join Inter Miami.

“I made the decision that I am going to go to Miami,” Messi told Spanish newspapers Mundo Deportivo and Sport. “I still haven’t settled it 100%, some pieces are missing, but I’ve decided to continue down this path.”

After months of frenzied speculation, Messi chose the United States over an offer from Saudi Arabia worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year, and over a potential return to the team of his heart, Spain’s Barcelona, where he spent the first 17 years of his pro career.

“The truth is that I had offers from another European team, but I didn’t even evaluate it because in Europe my only idea was to go to Barcelona,” Messi said. “After winning the World Cup, and not being able to go to Barça, it was time to go to the United States league to live football in a different way and enjoy more of day-to-day life. Obviously with the same responsibility and desire to want to win, and to always do things well, but more calmly.”

MLS confirmed in a statement that the deal is not yet complete but is in the works.

“We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” the league said. “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.”

Messi, 35, will arrive in MLS less than a year after the crowning achievement of his career, winning the men’s World Cup with Argentina. He has won the UEFA Champions League four times, the Spanish league 10 times and the French league twice, as well as the 2021 Copa América and 2008 Olympics with Argentina.

Individually, he is a seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or award as the world’s top men’s player, and a three-time winner of FIFA’s player of the year prize.

What it took to get Messi to MLS isn’t yet known. Guillem Balagué, a reporter for outlets including CBS and the BBC who wrote a major biography of Messi with the player, reported that Apple and Adidas will pitch in with commercial deals. The New York Times said Messi is in line to get an ownership stake in Inter when he retires from playing.

Apple holds MLS’s worldwide broadcasting rights, and will sell lots of streaming subscriptions with Messi on its platform; Adidas has long been a Messi sponsor and is MLS’s exclusive jersey supplier. Miami’s pink-and-black shirts are expected to fly off the shelves — and:

The Athletic reported that MLS and Apple “have discussed” giving Messi a share of revenue from subscriptions to Apple’s MLS Season Pass package. Apple also recently struck a deal with Messi to distribute a four-part documentary on his career. The announcement did not say when the series will be released, and a spokesperson for the production declined to give The Inquirer any more details.

What did Saudi Arabia offer Messi?

But MLS’ triumph undoubtedly is an upset. The Saudi offer was reportedly over $400 million per year in salary, plus commercial deals, for a two-season stay. There has never been a salary greater than $14 million per year in MLS. Messi’s pay surely will top that, but it will be a surprise if he earns more 10% of what he could have in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia was able to offer that huge sum because of backing from the government’s sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund. The PIF also owns English club Newcastle United and LIV Golf, launching the latter to rebel against the PGA Tour until the PGA agreed to a merger this week.

The PIF’s next step is already underway: spending billions of dollars to attract soccer’s biggest stars to the country’s domestic league. It has already reeled in three top names: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United and Portugal) in January, and Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and France) and N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea and France) this month.

Messi was to be the biggest catch of all, but he chose America instead.

Saudi Arabia’s ‘sportswashing’ controversy

The Saudi government has been widely accused of “sportswashing,” using all these big sports moves to clean up the image of a country that discriminates against women, bans homosexuality, and has alleged links to terrorism.

Saudi crown prince and prime minister Mohammed bin Salman has been accused of orchestrating the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Two years ago, a U.S. government report linked a Saudi official to al-Qaeda’s terrorist attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Families of the victims made that point loudly when the PGA-LIV Golf peace accord was announced.

Miami was not Messi’s first choice, according to a range of reports and a statement from his father, Jorge. The player and his family wanted to go back to Barcelona, where he grew up as an academy player and mesmerized the world as a pro from 2004-21. The Spanish giant has had financial problems for years, and was forced to let Messi go in 2021.

He joined France’s Paris Saint-Germain, where he teamed up with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé for two star-studded but unfulfilling seasons. PSG won two French league titles but flamed out in the UEFA Champions League’s round of 16 both times — and that was the prize Messi was signed to win.

Barcelona has taken some big steps to clean up its books, but it has too much left to do to comply with the Spanish league’s financial rules to bring Messi back.

When will Lionel Messi debut for Inter Miami?

Messi played his last game for PSG on June 3, and his contract ends June 30. He likely will take some time off before taking the field in MLS. One source who knew of talks within league circles told The Inquirer that Messi likely won’t make his debut until August.

Either way, Messi won’t come to Philadelphia during the regular season, because Miami visits Subaru Park on June 24. Whether he’d come in the playoffs depends on Miami getting out of last place in the Eastern Conference.

If Messi debuts during the Leagues Cup tournament between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, a visit here would require Miami to top either Atlanta or Mexico’s Cruz Azul in the group stage, then reach the semifinals.

When the regular season resumes, Miami hosts Charlotte on Aug. 20, then visits the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 26. That’s a game worth circling no matter what.

Along with being Messi’s closest scheduled game to Philadelphia, it will be his second time at Red Bull Arena in recent months. Messi scored on the Union’s Andre Blake and Damion Lowe there in September when Argentina beat Jamaica in a World Cup tune-up.

If you’re interested in traveling farther to see Messi, circle games set for NFL stadiums: Sept. 16 at Atlanta, Oct. 4 at Chicago, and Oct. 21 in Charlotte, N.C. And circle the Sept. 3 game at Los Angeles FC, too, because MLS headquarters surely will.