Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer (MLS) made headlines last month, signing Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi to a multiyear deal through the 2025 season.
There was some questioning as to when Messi would join the club, yet he made it official over the weekend as he signed the deal. The team introduced him in front of a sold-out crowd at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday ahead of a 3-0 loss to St. Louis City SC.
“I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” Messi said through an official release on the team website. “This is a fantastic opportunity and together, we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”
Messi has played at the highest levels of European soccer since 2004 and is one of the most decorated players of all time. He has won seven Ballon d’Or as the best player in French soccer, six European Golden Shoes as the top goal-scorer on the continent, and many championships.
“We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our League and our sport in North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in the release. “We have no doubt that Lionel will show the world that MLS can be a League of Choice for the best players in the game. We look forward to seeing his debut for Inter Miami in our Leagues Cup tournament later this month.”
Several other international stars have made the move to the MLS, including Kaka (2015), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2018), Wayne Rooney (2018), and David Beckham (2007). Beckham was the first and received the most publicity when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy, and he is now a part owner of Inter Miami CF.
“Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city,” Beckham explained in the release. “Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much.”
“Today that dream came true,” he continued. “I couldn’t be prouder that a player of Leo’s caliber is joining our club, but I am also delighted to welcome a good friend, an amazing person and his beautiful family to join our Inter Miami community. The next phase of our adventure starts here, and I can’t wait to see Leo take to the pitch.”
The club also officially added Sergio Busquets, a veteran midfielder who has spent the last 15 years playing for FC Barcelona.
Neither player participated in the loss, but both will be eligible to play for Inter Miami when the Leagues Cup, an international competition between the MLS and Mexico’s LIGA MX that establishes the three North American teams that will play in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Inter Miami plays in the opposite conference of FC Dallas, and the clubs do not play each other for the rest of the current season. The 2024 schedule has yet to be announced.
