MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. Superstar Argentinian forward Lionel Messi has opted to join US soccer [football] club Inter Miami, Argentina’s Radio Continental reported on Wednesday.
"Messi walked away from big bucks he could have made switching to a Saudi Arabian club. He knows that it’s not in the cards for him to return to Barcelona. Messi has reached an agreement with the Inter Miami club and will play for them. That’s a fait accompli," Radio Continental’s reporter Hernan Castillo said.
On June 3, powerhouse French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced Messi’s departure at the end of the season. The Argentinian striker has been playing for the French club since the summer of 2021. He racked up 32 goals and 35 assists in 74 matches for the French club, twice winning the French football championship as well as one French Super Cup.
Before joining PSG, Messi, 35, played for Barcelona FC from 2003 to 2021. The Argentinian striker won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.
Messi is the captain of the Argentinian national football team and has 102 goals and 56 assists in 174 matches on the international stage. He is the winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2021 Copa America and a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The legendary striker owns a record seven Ballon d'Or awards and a record six European Golden Shoes.
Web portal Foot Mercato announced on May 30 that Saudi Arabian football club Al Hilal has already offered Messi a two-year contract worth 1.2 bln euros (almost $1.3 bln). The France-Presse news agency reported in May, citing an anonymous source in Saudi Arabia, that Messi’s move to one of the Saudi Arabian football clubs was a "done deal."