Lionel Messi picks Major League Soccer's Inter Miami
Lionel Messi is heading to play for Inter Miami. The Argentinian soccer superstar told Spanish media on Wednesday he will join the Major League Soccer club.
Messi, who won a World Cup last year, told Mundo Deportivo and Sport he considered leaving Europe despite being linked to a return to his former club, Barcelona, and Saudi team Al-Hilal, which reportedly offered him $300 million per year.
"I made the decision that I will go to Miami ... If the Barcelona offer didn't pan out, I wanted to leave Europe, leave the spotlight and think more about my family," he told the outlet.
"I had offers from other European clubs but I didn't even evaluate those because my idea was to return to Barcelona ... the only thing left to close my career was to play in the league in the United States and enjoy the day-to-day with the same responsibility of wanting to win and do things well but with tranquility," he added.
His new team acknowledged reports swirling around Messi in a video on Twitter, and at the end included letters of his last name in Inter Miami's signature pink colors.
The announcement comes as speculation filled the soccer world over Messi's potential next stop. In December, he led Argentina to its first World Cup title since 1986.
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