In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Messi said: “Coming to play for Inter Miami was an opportunity and the way things developed during my last years in Paris, although it was a decision that I had to make on the go because I had to leave from Barcelona, I went through two years which I didn’t enjoy.
He is relishing the challenge of helping the MLS become one of the world’s top leagues and believes the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, to be held in Miami next June, is “wonderful”.
Messi added: “I think this is very important for the club, especially, to participate for the first time in a World Cup that will take place in the country and for the MLS to have two teams is a wonderful thing.
Messi, who won his eighth Ballon d’Or after leading Argentina to glory at the 2022 World Cup, spent 21 years at Barcelona, with whom he won won four Champions Leagues, 10 LaLiga titles and seven Spanish Cups.
Messi, who helped Miami win the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield before they were knocked out of the play-offs by Atlanta United in a major upset, said his family was also enjoying life in Florida.
