Lionel Messi to MLS: 'I made the decision that I'm going to go to Miami'

Lionel Messi has decided! He will join Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer, he announced Wednesday, a stunning development that brings the 2022 World Cup champion and record-setting seven-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner to one of the league's newest teams.

A deal is not yet done, Messi said during a joint interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, but he is committed to completing the transaction.

"I made the decision that I'm going to go to Miami," he said during the interview. "I still haven't closed it 100% percent. I'm missing some things, but we decided to continue on the path. If the Barcelona thing didn't work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more of my family."

CBS Sports and BBC journalist Guillem Balague, who wrote Messi's authorized biography, first reported earlier Wednesday that Messi had decided.

Why did Messi choose Miami over Saudi Arabia and Barcelona?

While a move by Messi to Miami had been rumor fodder, such a transaction seemed like a dreamland scenario for MLS and a team that is in its fourth season, sits in last place in the Eastern Conference and recently sacked its coach. An offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal reportedly would have paid Messi around $400 million a year, according to The Telegraph.

FC Barcelona – where Messi played 17 seasons, winning 10 La Liga titles – also was considered in the mix, with Messi's father suggesting his son would prefer a return to his old club.

Messi said Wednesday there were a lot of things missing from his talks with Barcelona, and there wasn't a formal, written proposal. He didn't feel comfortable waiting on the unknown. He also said economics were not a problem for him and that if his decision was solely about money, he would have gone to Saudi Arabia.

"I had offers from other European teams, but I didn't even evaluate them because my idea was to go to Barcelona," he said. "And if the Barcelona thing didn't come out, analyzing it, then leaving European football."

He added he's hopeful to focus more on family and his well-being in the United States.

"Obviously, I really wanted to (return to Barcelona)," Messi said. "I had a lot of desire to be able to return. But, on the other hand, having lived what I lived, and the exit that I had, I did not want to return to be in the same situation again."

MLS and Inter Miami, which is owned by David Beckham, had to get imaginative in the attempt to lure Messi. MLS and its broadcast partner, Apple, offered Messi a share of revenue generated by new subscribers to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+, the Athletic reported citing multiple sources. Messi also was offered a profit-sharing deal with Adidas, per the Athletic. On Tuesday, Apple TV+ announced that it was developing a four-part documentary series featuring Messi.

"We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer this summer," MLS said in a statement. "Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our League."

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Milestone moment for MLS

Landing Messi will be considered a seminal moment in the history of a league that continues to strive for consistent relevance in a crowded American sports landscape. One such moment happened 16 years ago when global soccer icon David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham's arrival spawned the league's designated player rule ― also known as "The Beckham Rule" ― in which MLS teams can acquire players outside of the salary cap. Also part of the deal to get Beckham to join the Galaxy was an option for him to buy an MLS expansion team for $25 million. In February 2014 Beckham exercised that option to bring a team to Miami, and on March 1, 2020 Inter Miami CF finally made its debut.

The Major League Soccer that Messi will join is very different from the league Beckham joined in 2007. That season, there were just 13 teams; MLS recently announced its 30th club. MLS' regular-season attendance averaged 15,504 in 2006, the season before Beckham's arrival. During the 2023 season, five MLS teams ― each of which did not exist before Beckham's arrival ― average more than 25,000 fans a game. So far this season, the league averages more than 21,000 a game.

HOW DID THEY DO? 8 major soccer stars who moved from Europe to MLS before Lionel Messi

THE MESSI EFFECT: Inter Miami CF ticket prices, popularity soar after MLS announcement

Rough end for Messi at PSG

Messi's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired with the end of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season, during which PSG were league champions but had a disappointing UEFA Champions League campaign, bowing out during the Round of 16. Messi was expected to be the missing piece for Champions League glory for PSG, which had never won European club soccer's most prestigious trophy; Messi arrived in Paris after having won the Champions League four times during his time with Barcelona. Instead, Messi was booed before his final game for Paris Saint-Germain.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lionel Messi to Inter Miami: Soccer star announces MLS decision