Explained: Why Lionel Messi chose MLS adventure at Inter Miami over reunion with eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League

Once it became clear that the Argentine superstar would not be signing a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain, speculation regarding his next move began to rage. There were plenty of rumours to suggest that Messi was wanted alongside eternal rival Ronaldo in the Middle East.

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No deal was done, with David Beckham and Inter Miami able to lure the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner to the United States. Messi is playing with a smile on his face again there, with major honours already being collected, and remains convinced that he made the right career call.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has explained how Messi came to that conclusion, telling the ARLS podcast: “I think it was not financial, I think it was for family reasons and also because he was close to David Beckham, and he had the chance to build a squad with some players who are his friends, like [Sergio] Busquets and [Jordi] Alba. He had the opportunity to create what he wanted there - that maybe would have been different in Saudi. There are different reasons, but he prepared his move to Inter Miami a long time ago. I would not say the move was close, it was a possibility, but it was never that close from what I heard.”

Messi settled quickly in Florida – a region that boasts a large Spanish-speaking community – and has been producing his magical best in 2024. He has helped Inter Miami to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference, with record books in America being rewritten along the way.