World Cup Champion, Lionel Messi signs Inter Miami deal

The World Cup winner said in a statement from the club: "I'm very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States.

"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."

Beckham said he was overjoyed at Messi's arrival and described him as a "good friend [and] an amazing person".

A news conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced Messi’s deal will be for two and a half seasons and that they will pay him between $50m (£38m) and $60m annually – putting the total contract value between $125m and $150m in cash alone.

Messi arrived in south Florida on Tuesday after a holiday, then started the process of physicals and paperwork on Wednesday and the deal was finalised on Saturday afternoon. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is making his Miami move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain.

There was also interest from Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante now play, but Messi chose to join Inter Miami, who only became an MLS team in 2020 having been founded two years earlier.

Messi will first be available for selection for Inter Miami CF when they take on LIGA MX side, Cruz Azul in the July 21 opening match of Leagues Cup, a new North American soccer tournament in which MLS and LIGA MX will pause their respective league seasons from July 21 to August 19 to determine the three clubs that will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. All 47 first division clubs in Canada, Mexico and the US will compete in the World Cup-style, official Concacaf tournament. A limited number of tickets are still available for the match on July 21 and can be purchased here. Four days later, the Club will take on Atlanta United in their second match of the Leagues Cup competition. Tickets for the match against Atlanta United on July 25 are available for purchase here.

Fans around the world can watch Messi, Inter Miami, and all the action on MLS Season Pass, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that is available in more than 100 countries and regions. MLS Season Pass can be accessed on the Apple TV app on smart TVs, streaming devices, Apple devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com.

Notably, Messi was previously by managed by Inter Miami CF head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino during two separate stints – with FC Barcelona in the 2013-14 campaign, winning the 2013 Supercopa de España, and between 2014 and 2016 with the Argentine national team.

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Sarah H 

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