Lionel Messi, at least for the time being, is not ready to make the move to Major League Soccer according to the Argentine’s agent Jorge Mendes.
According to a rumor published on Tuesday, the PSG star intends to buy a third of Inter Miami for more than $200 million and then play for David Beckham’s team once his contract expires in 2023.
Such a move to one of MLS’s newest teams would be spectacular, and would make him the league’s biggest star. But Messi’s agent put a stop to it.
“Leo has not yet decided on his future,” his agent told Le Parisien, via TMZ Sports. “And if Leo Messi has crossed paths with David Beckham in the past few hours, it is only as part of PSG’s stay in Doha where the former English midfielder plays a role as an ambassador for the next World Cup in Qatar.”
Messi signed a two-year contract with PSG worth more than $35 million per year in August 2021. Before moving to France’s top league, the Argentinian spent over 16 years of his career at FC Barcelona, winning 10 La Liga crowns and four Champions League titles. Before leaving, he signed a five-year contract with Barcelona, but the club was unable to pay him after La Liga raised the salary ceiling.
Lionel Messi has already stated that he would be interested in playing in the United States, just like several other prominent figures in the sport.
“I always had the dream of being able to enjoy and have the experience of living in the United States, experience what the league there is like,” he said in 2020, via Forbes.
While bringing Messi to Inter Miami and the MLS as a whole would be significant, it doesn’t appear that this will happen in 2023.
Messi’s Performance Since Joining PSG
Lionel Messi has been a PSG player for a full season, and we’ve already seen some highs and some lows from the Argentina great.
Last summer, the entire football world was taken aback when La Liga’s financial fair play rule prevented Barcelona from renewing Messi’s contract and forced him to join PSG on a Bosman transfer.
On August 29, 2021, Messi made his PSG debut as a second-half substitute against Reims, and it was a quiet start as his new team cruised to a 2-0 victory.
On September 15, the 34-year-old was given his first PSG start in a Champions League match against Brugge, which ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw in which he did not score.
Lionel Messi has played 23 games in the 2021-2022 French Ligue 1 season. He has scored 6 goals with 29 shots on target from a total of 65 shots (8.46 xG). Lionel Messi averages 61 passes per game, with an 87 percent completion rate, and 13 assists.
Messi has appeared in seven Champions League matches this season. From a total of 18 shots, he has 10 on target and has scored 5 goals (5.32 xG).
