Miami [US], July 16 : Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit, Inter Miami, officially announced the signing of Lionel Messi on a free transfer on Saturday.
The World Cup 2022 winner will begin now begin his new journey on a deal that runs until 2025, following his departure from the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
The MLS club took to Twitter to share a glimpse of the Argentinian maestro in the Miami colours with the iconic number 10 jersey embedded on the back.
{{{{twitter_post_id####}}}}Sí, Muchachos📍 pic.twitter.com/8E3f9hb9VU— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 15, 2023
After the official confirmation of the Barcelona icon joining Inter Miami, MLS released an official statement hailing the transfer.
"We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our league and our sport in North America," a statement from MLS commissioner, Don Garber, read as quoted by Goal.com.
"I'm very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States. This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I'm very eager to start helping here in my new home," the statement added.
During his time with Paris Saint Germain, The Argentinian maestro Lionel Messi played for two seasons and managed to win the Ligue 1 title twice.
He ended his stay in the French League on a positive note as he was crowned the top assist provider in Ligue 1 for the 2022-2023 season.
Messi ended the season with 16 assists in 32 league games this season. This time he edged past now, his former teammate Kylian Mbappe, who walked away with the award last year.
After playing for clubs such as Grandoli, Newell's Old Boys, and Barcelona in the early 1990s to early 2000s, Messi made his debut for Barcelona C in 2003, scoring five goals in 10 appearances.
After a year-long stint with Barcelona B from 2003-04, in which he scored six goals in 22 matches, Messi made his debut for the senior team of the Catalan giants on November 16, 2003, as a 16-year-old.In his debut game for Barcelona's senior side, Messi came on as a substitute in the 75th minute against FC Porto.
Ever since he broke into the national team, he took very little time in rising to the status of a talismanic striker.
He went on to play for the Catalan giants for close to two decades, till 2021, making 520 appearances and scoring 474 goals for them.
With Barcelona, he won La Liga, the top domestic football competition in Spain, in 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
Messi also won four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona in 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2014-15 seasons.'La Pulga' also lifted 7 Copa Del Rey trophies with Barcelona in 2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons.
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