Lionel “Leo” Messi is one of the biggest names in sports, in football, in the world. Messi was a huge part of Argentina’s victory at the World Cup last year, and he’s currently finishing out his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. The question of “where does Messi go next” has been a big story in the sports world, and Wednesday, Messi made his choice. He’s not going back to Barcelona, which cannot afford him and didn’t really make him an offer. He’s not going to Saudi Arabia, a team which could have afforded him (and offered him $400 million-plus) but then he’d had to live in Saudi Arabia for part of the year. Instead, Messi is coming to Inter Miami to play Major League Soccer. While technically Miami can’t afford him, they worked out a deal which will see Messi getting a cut of broadcast rights on AppleTV and a lot more. Plus, Messi would apparently prefer to spend the last part of his career playing in a huge Spanish-speaking city with a large population of Argentinians.

In a monumental move that could alter the course of Major League Soccer, Lionel Messi has decided to sign with Inter Miami. After days of momentum and a years-long pursuit, MLS and Miami won a three-horse race with Barcelona and Saudi Arabia to sign the world’s greatest player. Messi announced the decision Wednesday in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, which confirmed earlier reports. No contract has yet been signed, and no details have been announced, but it is reportedly a complex 2.5-year deal with a total value well over $100 million.

“I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami,” Messi said in the interview. “I still haven’t finalized [the contract] 100% … But we decided to [take this path].”

The deal will reportedly include commercial arrangements with Apple and Adidas, two key MLS partners, for cuts of the broadcast and merchandise revenue that the Argentine superstar will generate. It also could give Messi an option to purchase a minority stake in Inter Miami after he has finished playing.

And it will surely boost the profile of soccer in the United States, both immediately and long-term. Demand for Inter Miami tickets spiked on Wednesday, as opposing clubs made plans to accommodate the planet’s most popular athlete.

Messi said Wednesday that he had other interest from elsewhere in Europe, but that those clubs didn’t entice him. “If the Barcelona [deal] didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight, and think more about my family,” he said.

For months, Barcelona made all the noise. Saudi Arabian authorities, meanwhile, readied for his arrival and made sure the media knew all about their readiness. But Inter Miami and MLS officials, led by Inter majority owners Jorge and Jose Mas, operated strategically and in silence. They reportedly presented a final proposal to Messi’s camp last week, but never said a peep — until Wednesday, when Jorge Mas celebrated Messi’s decision with a word-less tweet, and a photo of Messi’s new No. 10 jersey.

Messi was seemingly wooed by the South Florida lifestyle — less by Miami’s glamor, more by the opportunity for a reprieve from constant pressure in a city where Spanish is nearly ubiquitous. Miami boasts a thriving Argentine community — and, soon, an Argentine national soccer training center — in addition to other Latin American flavor.

He was also attracted to the American market. There was Apple, which recently announced a Messi documentary; and other opportunities in Silicon Valley, where, in 2022, Messi and his family helped launched a holding company for investments at the intersection of soccer and technology. All of which were reasons that Messi had previously said he’d like to play in the U.S. someday. That day is now near.

[From Yahoo]

So his two big choices were between Saudi Arabia – a repressive dictatorship – versus Miami, a vibrant hub of Latin American culture, smack in the middle of one of the most repressive and conservative states in America. What a choice! No, but I get it – Messi had the opportunity to make deals on top of deals by coming to America. Partnering with Apple and Adidas in the American market is a huge deal. Plus, he’ll eventually get to buy a stake in Inter Miami, which is the same deal David Beckham has, correct? Beckham is basically the blueprint for Messi’s move, and Beckham has also bet big on MLS and growing American interest in soccer/football. Beckham and Messi know that the potential is there to really do big things in the American market.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.