After his departure from French champions Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine legend Lionel Messi will join Inter Miami.
The former Barcelona forward is likely to turn down a more lucrative offer from Al-Hilal.
The Miami agreement involves partnerships with brands such as Adidas and Apple.
Messi, 35, has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, the award for the world’s best player, and is expected to receive it again this year following World Cup victory.
This is the first occasion Messi has ever played outside of Europe.
He desired to remain in Europe for another season, but after receiving no satisfactory proposals, he was forced to choose between Inter Miami and Al-Hilal.
It was widely believed that he preferred a move to Saudi Arabia, where he would have joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in a financially incomparable agreement.
Messi was ultimately enticed to sign with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami for a variety of reasons, including his lifestyle and an agreement with major brands that extends beyond soccer.
He already owns and leases out a house in Miami.
He desired to return to Barcelona this summer, but the Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions that will be implemented in La Liga for the upcoming season rendered any ambitious plan to bring him back impossible.
Paris St. Germain won Ligue 1 in both of his seasons at the club, but they were eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16, so his tenure in France was not considered a tremendous success.
He scored 32 goals in 75 appearances for the club and 16 goals and 16 assists in Ligue 1 this season.
Messi’s two-year contract expires this summer, and both parties have consented to part ways; he was suspended for two weeks in May for an unapproved trip to Saudi Arabia.
His legacy is the result of his tenure at Barcelona and his World Cup victory with Argentina in December.
Due to the club’s financial difficulties, he departed Barça in 2021, after 21 years with the club.
Messi has scored 672 goals for Barcelona and has won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, and seven Spanish Cups.