Page 9 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

“MESSI AMAZED DURING HIS FIRST DAYS IN MIAMI, SCORING AN INCREDIBLE EIGHT GOALS FROM HIS FIRST FIVE GAMES”
The rumours had been running rampant for moment he realized that Messi would actually
years, but did anybody ever really expect to see the greatest player of a generation plying their trade in the United States? The money that had been thrown around
by Saudi Arabian clubs in recent months made the idea of Lionel Messi coming to Major League Soccer seem like a pipedream.
However, nobody knew how to make the impossible happen in the North American soccer landscape quite like Inter Miami co-owner, David Beckham. After all, the Englishman is the reason why the Designated Player rule even exists in the first place. The league was forced to come up with a creative solution to their salary cap when they learned that Beckham was interested in signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy back in 2007. His signing completely changed the trajectory of the league, with MLS growing exponentially ever since his arrival in Tinseltown.
“I never thought I would have the same feeling as an owner as I had when I was a player,” Beckham said in an interview with The Athletic about the
be arriving in Miami to play for his club. “When I got the phone call, I had the feeling I had when
I walked out at Old Trafford or Wembley. I was like, ‘We’ve just beaten all competition to sign the greatest player to ever play our game,’”
The deal to finally get Messi to the United States wasn’t an easy one to complete, but one that was well worth it for the club and the league. Messi will earn a salary between $50m and $60m annually for the duration of his two and-a-half year contract with Inter Miami. A bargain for Beckham’s club considering Messi turned down a reported €1.5 billion over three years to play with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. With long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo trailblazing an exodus of star players who have moved from Europe to the Saudi Pro League, it may have been understandable if Messi decided
to follow the same path, but ultimately he chose Miami and in doing so became undoubtedly the biggest transfer to MLS since Beckham himself. “We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League
SOCCER360 MAGAZINE 9
THREE AMIGOS
MARCO D’ONOFRIO LOOKS
AT HOW INTER MIAMI WERE ALSO ABLE TO LAND LIONEL MESSI’S FORMER BARCELONA TEAMMATES JORDI ALBA AND SERGIO BUSQUETS TO JOIN HIM AT DRV PNK STADIUM
While all the talk surrounding Inter Miami recently has been about Lionel Messi’s arrival, he wasn’t the only Barcelona legend to make the move across the pond. Both Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also decided to follow Lionel Messi to Miami.
Busquets became one of the most decorated players in recent football history, spending his entire career with the Blaugrana until making his debut in Florida at the same time as Messi. Both icons entered the pitch in the 54th minute on July 21 against Cruz Azul and both had the crowd gasping until the end of the match. Alba, who spent 11 successful years at the Camp Nou, arrived after Busquets, but needed very little time to settle in.
“I’m here to compete, to win, to play the best possible way, to take care of myself. I’m a very competitive player and this project is very familiar,” said the left-back after an Inter Miami practice. “That’s why I made the decision to come here. There is solid, hard work behind
it; the team, the coaching staff, the executives of the club - I’ve been here for three, four
days and it seems to me that I’ve been here
all my life.” Both will allow Messi to feel more comfortable in his new surroundings on and off the pitch, as the pair have spent years playing with him at Barcelona. Regardless of which club they support, MLS fans are just excited at the fact that all three legends will be playing in the league together. MLS still has a long way to go before it can compete with the best leagues in the world, but this summer feels like it could be a real turning point.
Inter Miami defender Jordi Alba (L) in action against Charlotte Defender Jaylin Lindsey