Goal breaks down Argentina’s massive decision, how it came together and what it means for all involved

What was once a fantasy is now a formality. An event that was once a dream is now, finally, a reality. Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all time, is heading to Inter Miami. After all this time, all of the rumors, leaks, and speculation, Messi has arrived.

It’s still a weird sentence to write, despite all of the buildup that came before it. Messi’s MLS arrival always felt like a pipedream, one that only the most hopeful of American soccer fans truly believed in. For some time, it felt like Inter Miami and MLS found themselves in the middle ground, unable to compete with the allure of European competition, the money of the Middle East, and the romanticism of a South American return.

In the end, MLS found itself as the perfect marriage of all three. With his move stateside, Messi instantly becomes an American sports icon, the second coming of David Beckham and, perhaps, even bigger. It’s only right that it was Beckham’s club that inevitably became the club to lure Messi, igniting a new era of MLS led by one of the game’s biggest titans.

So how did we get here, and what does it all mean? GOAL has you covered with everything you need to know about Messi’s big decision:

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A move years in the making

Back in 2020, Messi found himself at a crossroads for the first time in his career, with his Barcelona contract dwindling down. As we all know, he eventually decided to stay at Barca for one more season, but that summer showed the first signs of deterioration between the superstar and the only club he’d ever called home.

The next summer, he was free to go wherever he wished. For the first time in his career, Messi was without a club. He, inevitably, made the move to Paris to sign with PSG, but that was the first sign of real hope for clubs outside of Catalunya.

Over in the MLS, the club best positioned to meet Messi’s criteria has always been Inter Miami. For years, Miami has looked to build a team worthy of attracting the Argentine star. One of their initial big signings was Messi’s long-time teammate, Gonzalo Higuain, who spoke glowingly of his experience at the club as he approached retirement.

Messi is fond of the area and often vacations in South Florida, a place that is a melting pot of North American and South American culture. The presence of Beckham only sweetened the deal, giving Messi a familiar face to work alongside should a deal ever get done.

It wasn’t Beckham, however, that was the key to getting a deal done, but rather his co-owners Jorge and Jose Mas. For years, the Mas brothers have been in close contact with Messi and his entourage, and the two have been cautiously optimistic that a deal could get done.

“David and I have been working really hard; we have aspirations of bringing the best players here, and Leo Messi is a generational player, arguably the best player of all time,” Mas told the Miami Herald back in 2021. “I am optimistic Messi will play in an Inter Miami shirt because I think it will complete the legacy of the greatest player in our generation and will meet with the ambitions of the owners of Inter Miami to build a world-class team.”

In the end, Mas was right: Messi is coming. However, it took a hell of a lot of work to make it happen.

MLS moves heaven and earth

The key thing to remember is that this deal doesn’t just matter to Inter Miami, but to American soccer as a whole. A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say, and Messi’s arrival is a tidal wave. Because of that, it took more than just the Mas brothers to get this done. It also took more than just the MLS.

According to The Athletic, MLS’ commercial partners Apple and adidas have played huge parts in sweetening the deal for Messi and are perhaps the biggest reasons he’s ultimately decided to come stateside.

Apple, which became the home of all MLS matches when they signed a 10-year, multibillion-dollar deal this spring, reportedly offered Messi a share of revenue generated by new subscribers to MLS Season Pass, the league’s home on Apple TV. Apple has also announced a docuseries with Messi separate from MLS, chronicling Messi’s World Cup triumph this past fall.

Messi’s potential arrival would be massive for Apple, as the company’s TV contract with MLS is a global deal. Therefore, fans around the world, not just in the U.S., would be able to follow Messi’s MLS career with a subscription. Apple is more than willing to help, as Messi would bring countless eyeballs to their product. In the end, the reason Apple bet on MLS was because of something like this.

adidas, meanwhile, is MLS’ kit sponsor and also Messi’s longtime partner. The Athletic says that Messi has been offered a profit-sharing deal by adidas, which would see the Argentine receive a cut of any increase in the company’s profits as a result of his MLS arrival. It’s hard to fathom how many pink Messi jerseys will be sold in the coming years. There likely won’t be many more popular shirts in world soccer, and adidas and Messi would get a cut of each sale.

Finally, MLS has long been expected to offer Messi a similar deal that the league did to Beckham, who used a clause in his initial contract to purchase the right to form Inter Miami in a cut-price deal worth only $25 million. Money is clearly not the only motivating factor for Messi, though, as he left a more lucrative option on the table.

The Saudi offer

While MLS’ financial package is sweet, no doubt, it pales in comparison to what Messi was reportedly offered to go to Saudi Arabia. Al-Hilal, one of four clubs to be recently taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, reportedly made Messi an offer of over $400 million per year.

The league has recently lured the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema with similarly massive deals, with the likes of N’Golo Kante and Sergio Ramos supposedly set to arrive soon, too

Messi has an affiliation with the country, having served as a tourism ambassador. He was suspended by PSG earlier this year for taking an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia following a loss to Lorient. However, despite the tantalizing thought of Messi and Ronaldo renewing their rivalry, Messi has chosen MLS, where he can become a transcendent star.

Retirement league? Not quite!

For years, MLS has looked to shift the’retirement league’ label that was placed upon it by the rest of the world. Over the last five years or so, the league has trended younger, with signings like Messi’s World Cup teammate, Thiago Almada, taking center stage.

However, there is still a place for familiar faces, with players like Lorenzo Insigne, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Christian Benteke all joining over the last year or so. But none of those players are anywhere near Messi, both on and off the field.

Messi may not fully be at the peak of his Barcelona powers, but there’s still an argument to be made that he’s a top-five player in the world. He’s among the favorites to lift the Ballon d’Or later this year after almost single-handedly lifting Argentina to World Cup glory. He also put up 21 goals and 20 assists for PSG in all competitions last season, giving him a goal involvement per game across his 41 appearances.

That’s what makes this move so compelling. This isn’t Messi coasting through for one final paycheck. No, Messi still has his sights set on the Copa America and the 2026 World Cup. The Argentine isn’t retirement-ready, not in the slightest. He’s still a superstar, and, if history is any indication, he won’t disappoint.

Impact on Inter Miami, on and off the field

Since the team’s inception, Inter Miami’s stated goal has been to become a global brand. The presence of Beckham got them close, of course, but the club hasn’t quite been successful enough on the field to become a major player when it comes to international relevance.

Well, with Messi comes international relevance. All eyes will be on Miami from the moment Messi arrives, instantly vaulting the team right to the top of North America’s hierarchy. One only has to look at the impact on Al-Nassr once Ronaldo arrived to get an idea of what kind of impact a star of that magnitude will have on a club.

As for on-field fit, Messi will immediately become the best player in MLS, although there will be some major adjustments he’ll have to make. Like the stars before him, he’ll have to deal with travel, heat, and a summer schedule—all hurdles that icons before him have been tripped up by. MLS is no cakewalk, even for Messi, and he’ll certainly have a target on his back against every team he faces.

This is Lionel Messi, though. He’s had that target on him for 15 years. He’ll more than likely adjust, and he’ll more than likely dominate. Miami has a centerpiece; now the question is how they build around him.

They still need a manager after sacking Phil Neville, with reports saying Messi’s old Argentina coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino is being sounded out. Several of his former teammates,  like Angel Di Maria and Sergio Busquets, have also been linked.

Miami will now need to build around Messi by constructing a team that plays to his strengths. They have time to figure that out, though. The most important thing was getting him through the door.

What it means for MLS (and American soccer)

The perception of MLS won’t change overnight. All involved know that. American soccer is still very much playing catch-up to the rest of the world. The league has existed for less than 30 years, after all. But the capture of Messi is a legitimate game-changer, bigger than Beckham and, yes, bigger than Pele all those years ago with the New York Cosmos.

The world has changed since Beckham and Pele kicked off American soccer with their own moves. In a social media age where the world is just a bit more open, Messi’s move to MLS isn’t him leaving the spotlight, but rather bringing it with him.

Eyes from all over the world will be on the MLS throughout Messi’s time in the league. Fans in Argentina, Barcelona, Paris, or wherever will be more likely to tune in. Sponsorships will multiply, attendance will surge, and interest as a whole will skyrocket.

There will be people whose opinions won’t change, Messi or no Messi. The’retirement league’ jibes will continue. Some will even criticize Messi for the move, questioning why he chose to get stateside when he still had time in Europe.

MLS won’t care. They got their guy. Can he single-handedly lift MLS towards universal respectability? Probably not, but it is a hell of a start, isn’t it? That’s one of the allures of this move for Messi, no doubt: the chance to be the player that finally changes the narrative about American soccer.

With Messi the face of American club soccer and the World Cup coming on the international side, there’s never been a better time to be an American soccer fan. With Messi leading the charge, it seems like this is only just the beginning.