Messi WASN'T sure about joining Inter Miami says Busquets

Cameron Smith

• 25 Jul 2023 17:40 BST
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi had reservations about leaving Europe before deciding to join Inter Miami this summer, according to Sergio Busquets.

The Argentine superstar became a free agent once his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expired at the start of July and had offers from the Saudi Pro League and from former club Barcelona, but rejected both in order to join David Beckham’s MLS side Inter Miami.

He was soon followed by former Barcelona team-mates Jordi Alba and Busquets; Luis Suarez could also be on his way following reports that he is willing to pay himself out of his contract at Gremio to join Inter Miami this summer.

MORE: Lionel Messi at Inter Miami: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2023

What has Busquets said?

In an interview with The Athletic, Busquets revealed that Messi wasn’t quite convinced by Inter Miami to begin with, which wasn’t the case with himself.

“We spoke about it because we’re friends,” Busquets said. “We had conversations about [Inter Miami] every once in a while. Especially with Leo, who was finishing his contract [with PSG] and who had some doubts about staying in Europe or facing something new away from Europe. I had more clarity. I knew that I wanted to leave Europe.”

MORE: How Lionel Messi has performed in EVERY debut

“This opportunity was my first choice from the very beginning because I understood the vision that Jorge, Jose and David had about this project,” Busquets continued. “They made me feel welcomed and when you leave your home, that’s what you want.

“To feel loved, to feel important, with all of the facilities and everything else that they can offer. It made it much easier for me to make this decision. And on top of that, to be able to be here with former teammates, I’m just so happy to be able to play with them again.”

Both Messi and Busquets made their Inter Miami debut in a Leagues Cup fixture against Cruz Azul on 22 July, with Messi scoring a 90th minute match-winning free kick to seal victory for his new side.