Owner of Inter Miami CF Jorge Mas claimed that it took three years of talks to convince Lionel Messi to join the Major League Soccer team.
Messi, an Argentina 2022 World Cup champion, revealed this month that, following two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, he will sign with Inter Miami as a free agent.
“In 2019 [when Messi was still at Barcelona], we started thinking about how we could bring him,” Mas told Spanish newspaper El Pais.
“I spent three years on it, a year-and-a-half [working] very intensely. There were many conversations with [Messi’s father and agent] Jorge. [Inter Miami co-owner] David [Beckham] talked to Leo, only about football issues, because he was a player.”
Messi, 36, had initially considered a return to Barca, the club he had left in 2021 due to its financial crisis, while he also rejected a lucrative deal from Saudi Arabia’s PIF fund to join Al-Hilal.
“I saw it as done at the end of May,” Mas said. “I didn’t want him to feel under pressure. We had spoken in Barcelona, Miami, Rosario, Doha … I spent the whole World Cup in Qatar, watching Argentina.
“The Apple contract was very important to close the deal.”
A four-part docuseries about Messi’s World Cup career, from his first tournament debut in 2006 through his eventual championship in 2022, has just been revealed by MLS broadcast partner Apple for AppleTV+. While on vacation, Messi is anticipated to sign a deal with Inter Miami that runs through December 2025 with an option year in 2026.
Mas stated that Messi will make “between £50 million and $60 million per year.” Mas also reaffirmed his long-standing desire to surround Messi with players he knows, like Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
However, he downplayed rumours that two of Messi’s close pals, former Barca forward Luis Suarez and Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, could join Miami this summer. He also stated that Miami will make “two or three” other signings.
As the Major League Soccer team gets ready for Lionel Messi’s arrival, nter Miami owner Jorge Mas is said to have announced the date of Messi’s debut game for the club.
After his contract with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain expired, Messi is finalizing the last formalities before joining Inter Miami. According to the Mirror, Messi’s first game for Inter Miami will take place on July 21 against Cruz Azul of Mexico.
Messi will play for Inter Miami in the match, according to a report that Mas confirmed in a secret meeting. The Leagues Cup group stage, which includes teams from MLS and Liga MX, includes the game at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Speaking to the Miami Herald, Mas said: ‘Security will obviously be enhanced.
‘Players will be bussed in, going through a tunnel. All of those security protocols are already prepared both for here and away. And it’s not only for our games.
‘It’s going to be an everyday occurrence and something we witnessed and I thought handled very well when (Messi) was here with Argentina before the World Cup.
‘As you may recall, Argentina trained in Miami before they flew over to to Doha.
‘We had an opportunity to see some of the Messi mania at our doors on an everyday basis during practice. So, we’re very prepared. We’ve been getting ready for this.’
Inter Miami has yet to release any sort of confirmation of Messi’s arrival as the 35-year-old is still technically under contract with PSG until July 1.
