Gonzalo Higuain has revealed why he loves MLS so much and doesn't see why his Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi can't join him in the United States in the near future.
After 13 hugely successful years in European football - with spells taken in at Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan and Chelsea - Higuain took the decision to join Inter Miami in September 2020.
The MLS outfit snapped the striker up towards the end of their debut season as a franchise, and he has since scored 13 goals in 40 games for the club, finding a "more natural" work-life balance in the process.
What's been said?
Higuain, who played the full 90 minutes of Inter Miami's 0-0 draw with Chicago Fire on the opening weekend of the 2022 MLS campaign, doesn't miss the pressures of the European game and says the fixture schedule in America suits his lifestyle far better.
"I found the emotional and inner tranquillity that I had been looking for for a long time. I came out of that European vortex. I didn't think I would have found myself so well," the 34-year-old has told Argentine publication Ole.
"I wanted to go back to the sensations I had with amateurism, like when I played in the lower leagues. Here there is not that mistrust, that envy.
"If a journalist is critical, he does it with respect. We always arrive two hours before the game, my daughter can go on to the pitch with my wife: there are fewer rules, everything is more natural.
"You play only on weekends, so during the week you can relax. MLS is a very nice league to play in and makes you happy even off the pitch."
Higuain on the prospect of Messi in MLS
getty imagesIt has been suggested that Messi could soon join Higuain at Inter Miami, despite the fact he is under contract at PSG until 2023 with the option of an extra year.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has struggled for form in Paris this season and has expressed his admiration towards MLS in the past.
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has confirmed that the club will try to lure Messi to the United States, telling the Miami Herald: "Leo Messi is still one of the best players in the world, his skills have not diminished.
"Can it happen? Look, we’ll push. I’m an optimist at heart. Could I see that happening? It’s a possibility.”
Higuain would welcome the prospect of a reunion with his compatriot in Miami, and sees no reason why he would not be open to the opportunity.
"The decision is up to him, but I don't see why not," he said when quizzed on Messi's links to the club.