Lionel Messi, perhaps the greatest player of all time, is reportedly coming to Major League Soccer.
According to the BBC, Messi has decided to join Inter Miami in a landmark deal for the team and the league. The Athletic reported that the deal was not done but “very close,” while Fabrizio Romano has given it the “here we go” treatment.
The 35-year-old was a free agent after spending two seasons in France with PSG, where he scored 32 goals in 75 games and won two Ligue 1 titles but ultimately fell short of the club’s ultimate goal, the Champions League.
Messi reportedly turned down a more lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal while his former club Barcelona was unable to make a proposal due to ongoing financial difficulties.
The World Cup-winner would join a side in last place in the Eastern Conference, currently coached by Javier Morales on an interim basis after it sacked Phil Neville last week.
Reports out of Argentina have stated that Gerardo “Tata” Martino, Messi’s former coach at Barcelona and the national team, is being lined up as Inter Miami’s new manager. Martino is a free agent after last coaching Mexico’s national team, which he departed after the 2022 World Cup.
It is not clear when exactly Messi would join up with Inter Miami, but despite his age he is still undoubtedly still one of the world’s most effective attacking players.
100th – Lionel Messi's performance in the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season ranked near the best among all forwards in possession and attacking in the top 5 European leagues in the last 15 seasons, including in the 100th percentile in chances created and touches. Level. pic.twitter.com/zm2Fw4RM4i
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) June 7, 2023
MLS pulls out all the stops to land Messi
To land one of the all-time greats and compete with the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia, MLS had to throw the kitchen sink at Messi. And that is exactly what they did.
The Athletic reported that the league and Apple offered Messi a cut of the money generated by new subscribers to the league’s streaming package on Apple TV+.
Additionally, league partner Adidas offered Messi a profit-sharing agreement stemming from the expected increase in MLS merchandise sales.
Messi’s deal with Inter Miami also reportedly includes an option to purchase a percentage of an MLS team at a discounted rate — a similar clause to the one included in David Beckham’s deal with the LA Galaxy in 2007.
Beckham eventually used that clause to become a co-owner of Inter Miami.
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