Messi says he is ‘happy’ he rejected Barcelona for Inter Miami
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 12 Jul 2023 07:58 BST
- 3 min read
Lionel Messi has insisted he is happy to have turned down a return to Barcelona in order to sign for Inter Miami.
On Tuesday, Messi touched down in Fort Lauderdale, which has an executive airport on the same block as Inter Miami’s training ground.
Messi signed for Inter Miami on a free transfer this summer, turning down a return to Barcelona as well as a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.
READ MORE: Lionel Messi at Inter Miami: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2023
And Messi says he is happy with his decision.
What did Messi say about joining Inter Miami?
“We are happy with the decision we made,” Messi told Argentine TV.
READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals
“I am ready and eager to face the new challenge.
“My mentality and my head are not going to change. I will try to do my best for myself and for my new club.”
Messi is set to be unveiled as an Inter Miami player this Sunday, while his debut has been pencilled in for July 21 in a match against Mexican team Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium.
A return to Barcelona was initially believed to have been Messi’s preference this summer but for financial reasons a deal was not possible.
For the transfer to go through, La Liga needed to approve Barcelona’s so-called ‘Viability Plan’ but the Blaugrana then had to execute it by raising cash through the sale of some big players such as Ansu Fati and Raphinha.
This was always unlikely to happen and in the end Messi was not prepared to wait.
The best financial offer was from Saudi Arabia, as it was reported that Al-Hilal offered Messi a contract in the region of €400-600 million a year.
