2023-06-07 21:28:18
Torn between offers from Barça, his lifelong club, and the new Saudi El Dorado, the Argentinian Lionel Messi finally opted for Inter Miami and the North American championship (MLS) which thus offers himself an exceptional blow of projector.
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After the end of his adventure at PSG, the world champion, 35, had the choice between three destinations: a return to the fold in Barcelona, his training club, the call of petrodollars from Saudi Arabia, which have already seduced Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, or Major League Soccer, across the Atlantic. ” I’ve decided I’m going to Miami, I haven’t (a deal) 100% done or maybe there’s still things to do, but we’ve decided to move on there “, declared the sevenfold Ballon d’Or this Wednesday to the Spanish newspapers, Daily Sport et Sports world.
About his time at PSG, where he played two seasons without shining, Lionel Messi confessed to not having been ” happy ». « I didn’t like that. And it affected my family life, I missed a lot of my children’s life in school. In Barcelona I was going to look for them, here I did it much less, I shared fewer activities with them “, he said, explaining that he now intended to prioritize his family life.
A logical choice
The choice of Miami is rather a surprise as the seven-time Ballon d’Or seemed close to committing to a Saudi club. To lure him into his nets, the kingdom was ready for all the madness, a salary of 400 million euros per season having been advanced by several media. Senior leaders of Al-Hilal had even made the trip to Paris on Sunday to try to conclude the deal, AFP had learned from sources close to the talks. In early May, a Saudi source close to the negotiations told AFP that the transfer was ” a done deal ».
But Messi’s ultimate desire was above all to find his Barça, whom he had to leave with a death in his soul in 2021 to join PSG, the Catalan club being unable to keep him for financial reasons. These are the same reasons that caused the Return operation Even though Jorge Messi assured Monday that this option was the preference of his son. But the management of the blaugrana formation had to wait for the Spanish League to validate its economic viability plan before being able to consider recruiting the “Pulga”. Something to cool the ardor of the Messi clan. The Inter Miami track has therefore logically arrived at the top of the pile despite Messi’s desire to stay in a top league with a view to the Copa America in 2024.
Incomparable advertising
To complete the transfer, the East Coast club benefited from the income generated by the agreement concluded in the spring between MLS and Apple, which offers on its Apple TV + service a subscription to follow the American championship, the MLS Season Pass. This agreement was signed for 2.5 billion current dollars over ten years. On Tuesday, Apple TV + also announced the upcoming broadcast of a four-part documentary series, retracing the five World Cups played by Messi.
« The League wanted to be very creative. It’s all on the table “Assured a source within the MLS, whose offer includes contributions from Apple and Adidas, its two largest commercial partners. Adidas, life sponsor of Messi as well as of the MLS since its creation in 1996, would thus propose an agreement based on a sharing of the benefits expected from the Argentine’s involvement in the MLS. Messi’s contract would also have an option for him to buy shares in an MLS franchise at the end of his career in the North American league. It is this process from which Beckham, also passed by PSG, had benefited to acquire Inter Miami after the end of his contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
For MLS, which has now focused its development on the reinforcement of young people and no longer of old glories as in its beginnings, the arrival of Messi constitutes incomparable publicity. ” I think of him as someone who crosses so many barriers that he can be more important than any athlete in any sport that has ever played here in the United States. MLS boss Don Garber said. The presence of Messi, who already has a residence in Miami, would also be an obvious plus in the promotion of the World Cup-2026, co-organized with Canada and Mexico.
(With AFP)
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