Lionel Messi CONFIRMS He Will Join Inter Miami And Says He Is Looking Forward To "More Calm" In Major League Soccer

Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will be signing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer this summer.

The 35-year-old will be available on a free transfer later this month when his current contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires.

After it became apparent that he would not be extending his stay with PSG, three  main possible destinations emerged for Messi.

A return to former club Barcelona made sense emotionally, while the best financial package offered came from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

But Messi has instead opted to move to the USA to join the team currently dead last in the Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference.

Messi gave a joint interview with SPORT and Mundo Deportivo on Wednesday.

In it, he admitted that reports claiming that he had chosen Miami were correct, before going on to explain how and why he reached that decision.

Lionel Messi pictured during a joint-interview with SPORT and Mundo Deportivo, in which he announced his imminent transfer from PSG to Inter Miami

www.sport.es

"I'm going to join Inter Miami," said Messi. "The decision is 100 per cent confirmed."

He added: "If it had been a matter of money, I'd have gone to Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me.

"The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money."

Messi appeared to suggest that Barcelona had been his first choice but said that his old club's inability to commit to a firm offer ended hopes of a deal.

The Barcelona legend had never wanted to leave the Camp Nou in the first place.

His transfer from Barca to Paris late in the summer of 2021 only happened because La Liga rules prevented him from signing a new contract due to his former club's financial position.

Messi revealed that he had been in regular contact with former Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez, who is the now head coach at the Camp Nou.

"I've been supporting Barca during the year, I'm a fan," said Messi. "I spoke to Xavi a lot, we discussed and we always had frequent exchanges.

"I really wanted to return to Barca, I had that dream. But after what happened two years ago, I did not want to be in the same situation again, leaving my future in the hands of someone else.

"I wanted to take my own decision, thinking of me and my family."

Messi will play in Major League Soccer after ending his two-year stint at PSG

IMAGO/HMB-Media/Antonio Borga

Messi concluded: "It's true that I had offers from another European team but I didn't even think about it because in Europe, my idea was only to go to Barcelona.

"After winning the World Cup and not being able to go to Barca, it's time to go to MLS to live football in a different way and enjoy my day to day life more.

"Obviously with the same responsibility and desire to win, and to do things well, but with more calm."