Lionel Messi has officially signed with David Beckham's Inter Miami, moving to Major League Soccer to be closer to his extended family. It wasn’t clear till the last moment whether Lionel Messi will go to Barcelona or Saudi Arabia or the United States, but after a lot of speculation, the MLS club Inter Miami, as well as the Argentina legend, announced their union.
After dominating European football for nearly two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both been considered the greatest players of their generation by their supporters. The two players have amassed numerous team and individual championships throughout their careers, making them the most Ballon d'Or winners with five and seven awards, respectively.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Inter Miami’s co-owner David Beckham talked about Messi ahead of his arrival at the DRV PNK Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The former Manchester United star also weighed in on the Messi-Ronaldo debate and said, "It has to be Messi. He is a great person, but I think what everybody loves about him is the way he plays the game. He plays the game with passion, he plays the game…just free. I think this past World Cup again, the way he played for his country and to win that World Cup is an incredible moment for him and I love watching players like him."
Watch the video here:
Also read: Lionel Messi to leave Europe this summer for ‘landmark deal’ to join Inter Miami
After having various offers in hand, Messi stated that although his decision to join Inter Miami is definite, some procedures still need to be followed. As a result, we might have to wait to see Messi make his debut for Inter Miami. The team's following games are on June 8 against Birmingham Legion FC and June 11 versus New England.
Messi's participation in the match against New England on June 11 is exceedingly improbable given that playing on June 8 is out of the question. Messi's Inter Miami debut won't happen until the team's match against last year's runner-up Philadelphia Union on June 25.