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By Martin Graham | 12th Jul 2023
The protagonist of the 2023 summer transfer window, Lionel Messi, is close to completing his story after fans spotted him in South Florida ahead of the completion of his move to Inter Miami.
Over six weeks ago, the 36-year-old announced that he would be joining the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise team belonging to David Beckham. This decision of his was announced after he chose to call time on his European adventure.
He did this following his displeasure with Paris Saint-Germain where he spent the last two years. He was billed to move back to Barcelona and worked to find a solution to ensure that the move happened. The financial constraints of the Catalan giants made it impossible, leading Messi to settle for Inter Miami, who have been after his signature for the last three seasons.
Miami coordinated a deal with Apple and Adidas to bring Messi to America. This deal, while not on the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr deal, will see Messi control a good chunk of the club while also getting a percentage of the broadcast and branding rights that Apple and Adidas provides to Inter Miami and the MLS as a whole.
It is by all means a lucrative move for the Messi family who have had a connection with Miami for a long time.
A fan-recorded video of Messi touching down at an airport in South Florida was published by ESPN which proved that the transfer was indeed happening after weeks of the initial announcement.
Miami have been anticipating the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s move for a while now and this has been shown in their ticketing and attendance figures. Ticket prices have soared as many are scrambling for the few seats at the 18,000-seater capacity DVR PNK Stadium, which is home to the club. It is one of the smallest stadiums in the league, which also fits perfectly into Messi’s desire to play out what is left of his career under less scrutiny.
Miami have also appointed Gerardo Martino as the club’s new manager in anticipation of Messi’s arrival. Martino, who worked with Messi at Barcelona and the Argentina national football team between 2013 and 2016 has the highest profile of any current MLS manager at the moment, which shows the club’s readiness to adapt to Messi’s brilliance.
Messi will also be reunited with Sergio Busquets who signed for Inter Miami after leaving Barcelona following the completion of the 2022/23 season alongside Jordi Alba. Alba could also join them as the fullback is believed to have chosen the MLS club as his next destination following his exit from the Spotify Camp Nou.
Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer
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