Why Did Messi Go to Inter Miami?

In June 2023, after much speculation, footballing goat Lionel Messi announced his decision to join MLS side Inter Miami from French champions Paris Saint Germain. The decision came as a surprise to many footballing enthusiasts, with many expecting him to move to Saudi Arabia like numerous other high profile players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

So why did Messi go to Inter Miami? Well, in this Elastico article, we take a deep dive into the topic, explaining all the reasons why the best player to play the game opted for America instead of returning to his beloved FC Barcelona or money-mad Saudi Arabia.

Why Did Messi Go to Inter Miami?

A combination of not being able to return to Barcelona for financial reasons, a lower intensity of football with major international tournaments on his mind, and the opportunity to better connect with his family are reasons why Lionel Messi chose to go to Inter Miami in 2023.

Why Didn’t Messi Return to Barcelona?

Before we go into the reasons why Messi joined Inter Miami, it’s worth us pointing out why he didn’t rejoin FC Barcelona, something that many experts thought would happen. It’s thought that both parties wanted to make a deal work, but were unfortunately unable to do so.

Messi has said on record that “I had offers from another European team, but I didn’t even consider it because my idea in Europe was only to return to Barcelona,”. The main reason why he initially left in 2021 and was unable to return in 2023 was because of financial implications, in particular, the La Liga salary caps that were in place.

La Liga Salary Caps

Essentially, Barcelona were unable to find a legal way of paying Messi a “competitive’ salary, due to La Liga salary caps. Initially in 2021, they agreed a deal, but due to the salary caps, Messi had to be deregistered from the Catalan giants, subsequently forcing his move to Paris.

In order to accommodate an iconic move back to Barcelona, La Liga approved a plan to make it happen, but it included some strict conditions. The main point here was that La Liga were only willing to allow Barcelona to spend 40% of any money they raised through sales and loans on new signings. For example, if they sold a player who reduced their salary bill by €100million, they would be able to register a player with a €40m salary.

It’s quite clear that Barcelona have been facing some financial issues for some time now, and they will be disappointed that they weren’t able to sanction a deal for the Argentine. Barcelona manager Xavi was very understanding of Messi’s situation, though, appreciating that he had to make the right move for him and his family.

Unhappy Experience in Paris

The next question on everyone’s lips is why did Messi want to leave Paris Saint-Germain? Well it’s been made quite clear by the player that he had an unhappy experience during the two seasons that he has played in Paris alongside other elite players including Brazilian Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.

Playing for PSG simply didn’t give Messi the same joy as when he was playing in Spain, winning lots of trophies. During his time in Paris, Messi won the Ligue 1 title twice, as well as the French Super Cup in the 2022/23 season, however their failings in Europe have been unable to help increase Messi’s Champions League wins.

The Reasons Why Messi Chose to Go to Inter Miami

There are a number of reasons why Messi chose to go to Inter Miami, including the attraction of the MLS, changing personal goals, the lifestyle factor and the connection with David Beckham.

The Attraction of Major League Soccer (MLS)

For many years, the MLS, America’s top football division, has been able to attract high level players who are heading into the latter stages of their careers. High level players that have enjoyed spells in the MLS include, Kaká, David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

Some reasons why the MLS is desirable for players approaching retirement are the fact there is less pressure and a lower intensity.

Less Pressure

Because the MLS is less in the global spotlight, and teams in the league don’t compete on the biggest stages (Europe), there is significantly less pressure on the players. Specifically, for a player with Lionel Messi’s pedigree, there will be much less pressure on him.

Lower Intensity

Each football league across the world has different characteristics, for example, the English Premier League is renowned for being a physical, intense league. The MLS is played at a much lower intensity than most major leagues across the world, which means that players who are in their late 30s can comfortably play many games.

A supposed aim of Lionel Messi’s is to continue playing on the international stage for as long as he can, with his eyes on both the Copa América and the World Cup in 2024 and 2026 respectively. As he is the Argentine captain, Messi wants to help his country defend both titles, and conveniently they’ll both be held predominantly in the United States.

By playing in the MLS where there is a lower intensity, Messi can enjoy playing less fixtures, hopefully staying injury-free so that he will be able to compete at both of these big tournaments for his county. By the end of the 2026 World Cup, the forward will be 39 years old, so he’ll need to look after himself extremely well during the next 3 years to be available.

Apple Sponsorship

Another key reason why Messi joined Inter Miami is the big broadcasting deal that tech giant Apple signed with the MLS. The deal is said to last 10 years and is worth $2.5 billion. Moving forward, every MLS game will be shown on TV as part of an MLS Season Pass, which will be a streaming service offered through Apple TV+.

For Messi, it will feel like a great time to join the American top flight, with way more exposure being shone upon the league as well as two key major competitions taking place within the country (the 2024 Copa América and the 2026 World Cup).

On top of this, Apple has also announced that they’ll be producing a documentary series around Messi, which will feature “exclusive behind-the-scenes access”, another great incentive for the player to move to America.

Changing Personal Goals

Another key reason why Messi chose to sign for Inter Miami is because of his changing personal goals. These supposedly took a big shift following Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win.

2022 World Cup Win Relevance

Throughout his career, Lionel Messi has felt extreme pressure to emulate Diego Maradona’s achievements while playing in an Argentina shirt, and the main challenge for Messi was to win a World Cup.

Not only would winning a World Cup help Messi match Maradona’s achievements, it would also cement his title of being the greatest of all time. Until the 2022 World Cup, Messi had failed to do this, however a dramatic 4-3 win against France in Qatar on penalties, meant that he has finally secured the titled he’d always dreamed of.

It was dubbed one of the greatest finals ever, with Messi scoring 2 goals in the game, as well as calmly converting his penalty in the shoot-out.

Now that Messi has won the World Cup, Copa América, several Ballon d’Or awards and Champions League trophies, there’s not much left for him to achieve. His move to the MLS signifies this, with him now feeling much more settled in his personal goals and aims for the future.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=juAyW0VuFOo

The Lifestyle Factor

Another key reason why Messi chose to move to America over Saudi Arabia and Europe was the lifestyle factor. This includes things like being able to enjoy day-to-day life more and to be closer to his real estate.

Enjoy Day-to-Day Life More

Following Messi’s two unhappy years playing for Paris Saint-Germain, he has gone on record and explained how much he wants to reconnect with his family and enjoy day-to-day life more. Messi said, “That was part of the decision as well, to find myself with my family, with my sons, and to enjoy the day-to-day. I’ve had the luck of achieving everything in soccer and now things go a little further than sport, which I’m still interested in a lot, but even more the family aspect.”

Professional footballers have to become extremely dedicated to the sport when playing at the highest level, and often times aspects of life including family and friends end up taking a backseat. Lionel Messi was in a fortunate position to take back some of his life when deciding to go to Inter Miami.

Real Estate

Another key lifestyle factor that would’ve swayed Messi towards the MLS was the fact that he owns real estate in South Florida, close to Miami. This will make it easier for him and his family to visit his real estate and live a different type of lifestyle to what they’ve been used to during his time in France and Spain.

Miami Culture

It’s worth saying that the culture in Miami in general could’ve been a good bargaining tactic to lure Messi to America. With brilliant weather, a vibrant culture and endless off-field events and possibilities, it’s a match made in heaven for a global superstar like Messi.

The Beckham Connection

Another key reason why Lionel Messi went to Inter Miami is the connection with previous football superstar David Beckham. The midfielder, famous for his spells with Manchester United and Real Madrid, was one of the first stars to move to the MLS, signing for LA Galaxy in 2007.

As owner of Inter Miami, Beckham would have been instrumental in making Messi’s move to Inter Miami possible. He will have been able to explain all the benefits Messi could expect to receive by making a statement move to the MLS, just like he did himself 16 years before.

Why Didn’t Messi Move to Saudi Arabia?

The final question to answer is, why didn’t Messi move to Saudi Arabia? During the summer transfer window in 2023, Saudi Arabian clubs went on a rampage, signing lots of high profile players. Here are a select few who chose to join the Saudi revolution:

• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Karim Benzema
• N’Golo Kante
• Ruben Neves
• Kalidou Koulibaly
• Marcelo Brozovic
• Roberto Firmino
• Edouard Mendy

With Messi having to make a decision on his future while Saudi’s were pushing for signings, it seemed nailed on that we would see Messi make the switch too. So why didn’t he move to Saudi Arabia, in particular Al Hilal? The plan was to get Messi to sign for the arch rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club, Al Nassr, so that the Riyadh derby would become extra special.

Instead, as discussed previously in this article, Messi decided to put his family first and believed that Miami would be a better home for them moving forward. It’s quite possible that Messi turned down the most lucrative offer ever put together in football by saying no to Al Hilal.

Conclusion

Why did Messi go to Inter Miami? Argentinian captain Lionel Messi chose to sign for MLS side Inter Miami for a number of reasons, including the fact that a return to former club Barcelona wasn’t possible, he wants to play international football for as long as possible, and he wanted to choose a location that will help him connect more with his family.

Will Messi be a success in Miami? Will he compete at the Copa América in 2024 and the World Cup in 2026? We’ll see, but the future, as always, is bright for the greatest footballer of all time.

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