Lionel Messi to Inter Miami – some thoughts on Leo's MLS move as Barcelona dream is dashed
It was the question I had been asked the most in recent weeks. On Instagram, on Facebook, on Twitter: “Do you think Messi will return to Barcelona?” My answer was always the same: “It’s complicated.” It was. And that is ultimately why it has not happened. There will be no dream homecoming for the Argentine attacker at the Catalan club. Instead, he is moving to Inter Miami.
Messi’s two-season spell at Paris Saint-Germain ended last weekend with boos and whistles from fans after a 3-2 defeat to Clermont Foot at the Parc des Princes. It had been widely known for a while that the 35-year-old would not be extending his time at PSG for a third year, but it was still a sad ending to his time in the French capital.
There have been plenty of rumours surrounding his next destination and in the end, it came down to three very different options: Barcelona, Saudi Arabia or Major League Soccer. Barça had been his preferred choice, but the romantic return did not materialise. Later, he explained why he had picked Miami.
“Obviously I really wanted it, I was very excited to be able to return to Barcelona,” Messi said in an interview with Sport and El Mundo Deportivo. “But on the other hand, after having experienced what I did and the exit I had, I did not want to be in the same situation again: waiting to see what was going to happen, leaving my future in someone else’s hands, so to speak. I wanted to make my own decision, thinking about myself, about my family.”
And he added: “Even though I heard that LaLiga had accepted everything and that it was all OK for me to return, there were still so many things to be sorted out. I heard they had to sell players or reduce the wages of others, and I didn’t want to go through that, nor take charge of having to do with all that. I have already been accused of many things that were not true in my career at Barcelona and I was already a bit tired, I didn’t want to go through all that.”
Messi’s father Jorge had met with Barça president Joan Laporta. Coach Xavi said he was “expectant”. And journalist-turned-streamer Gerard Romero, an authority on FCB transfer news in recent times, had excited fans with his catchphrase. “Things are happening,” he screamed on a Twitch broadcast a few days ago. They were. But not the right things, it turned out.
Following his announcement that he would be joining Inter Miami, Messi was criticised by some supporters of Barcelona. “I thought he was more of a Barça fan…” El Chiringuito collaborator Jota Jordi said. And on Twitter, the journalist posted a famous Johan Cruyff quote. “He who has doubts about playing for Barça is no longer of use to us,” the Dutchman once said.
Meanwhile, Barça released a statement on their website in which they wished their former player good luck in Miami. But they added: “President Laporta understood and respected Messi's decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years.”
Both reactions came across as petty, bitter and unnecessary. If Messi chose Miami and not Barcelona, it was because the Catalan club were not in a position to guarantee they could put together a deal. Two years ago, he was strung along for months by Laporta’s promises, only to be told in the summer he would have to leave. It is unsurprising he does want to be dragged through that again.
Despite the hurt he suffered, he was prepared to return, but not to go through all that suffering again with his future and family in limbo. Though it is not Laporta’s fault that Barça could not keep Messi two years ago, after he inherited a club in dire straits financially from previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu, his handling of the matter – constant assurances he would be staying before telling him at the last-minute that he had to leave – was deeply upsetting for the club’s greatest-ever player.
So don’t blame Messi for not returning to Barcelona. The club have had two years to sort themselves out financially and are still not in a position to offer Messi a concrete deal to return. At least they have said they are planning a proper tribute to the Argentine, who did not have that when he left under a cloud to PSG in 2021.
Perhaps it is a blessing, too. Leo will be 36 later this month and in a young, high-energy Barcelona team, it might not have worked out as it did before. While the idea of a return was definitely romantic, it could also have been difficult if and when his performances dipped. How could you leave him out of the team? How would the fans react? This way more be more painful now for the many who wanted him back in blaugrana, but those difficulties have been avoided. And his legacy remains unblemished.
Messi admitted he had other offers in Europe, but said he did not want to join any club other than Barcelona. On the one hand, it is a shame we won’t see him in the Champions League any more, especially as there was always a feeling he deserved to win the title at least one more time. On the other hand, he has achieved everything already in European football. In international football too, having won the World Cup with Argentina in December.
His move to Miami is the biggest boost for MLS since David Beckham left Real Madrid for LA Galaxy in 2007. And fittingly perhaps, it is Inter Miami owner Beckham who has brought the Argentine to Major League Soccer. It is exciting for the league, for the country, for the fans – and should help the game grow significantly in North America.
At this stage of his career, Messi has also earned the right to play where he likes. To do what makes him happy. In a video on his Twitter account, Argentine comedian Jero Freixas posted a short video to give his thoughts. “If Leo Messi decided one day to go and play in the league of Neptune, I’d be there to support him,” he said. “For almost 20 years, Messi has made he happy with his football. He’s going to be 36. He deserves to be happy and to do whatever the f**k he likes.” Amen.
Return to Barca would’ve been great but would not have benefited either Barca is in a lot of hot water and Messi didn’t want that distraction. Barca is also not in a position financially to offer Messi a lucrative deal and neither on a position to compete for another Champions League trophy. He has nothing else to prove in Football and a change of scenery is what he needs right now, in a club and league where he will be respected and the value he brings to Miami and MLS. Also a perfect place to be to build a whole new fan base building up to the World Cup to feel right at home. Not to mention that the deal would earn him more in the long run and will present him with new opportunities from US brands . I think this is best for Football. I’m looking forward to make more trips to Miami from Summer 😍