Lionel Messi has raved about his new football hometown of Miami and the reasons behind his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. “My move to Paris wasn’t what I wanted,” said the Argentine world champion at his first press conference as a professional with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. It was his wish to stay at FC Barcelona.
It was not a special sporting success story between PSG and Messi, especially not a great love after Messi had to leave his heart club Barcelona after about two decades. The massively indebted Catalans could no longer afford the 36-year-old Argentine, who crowned his career with the World Cup triumph in Qatar last December.
Messi already has nine goals for Miami
After his contract with PSG expired, Messi, unlike some international football stars, turned down an offer from Saudi Arabia and joined co-owner David Beckham’s club in the USA. Since arriving, Miami has won six straight Leagues Cup games and is set to win its first title. The final is this Saturday (local time) against Nashville. Messi has already scored nine goals in Inter-Dress.
He has not regretted the change of continents, even if he says he still has to get used to the muggy hot weather in Miami. Otherwise it is the opposite of what happened in Paris, where he had a difficult time, Messi said. The fact that Miami is a city with a lot of Latinos also makes it easier, he emphasized.
It is the most important thing, the healthiest and most beautiful thing, to feel good and enjoy what you are doing, explained Messi, who has been celebrated with his family and his performance in the USA since his arrival. He now wants to help the MLS to achieve an even better international standing. “There are all the prerequisites for top football here,” he told ESPN. It’s time to take the next step.
