da esport bet： GOAL breaks down the Argentine's massive decision, how it came together and what it means for all involved

da bet sport： 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 and 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 is 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:

TwitterA 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 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 team-mate, 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 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.

AdvertisementGettyMLS 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 MLS.

According to , 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, who 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, with that 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 are 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. 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.

Goal Ar / SocialThe 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 had 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.

GettyRetirement 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 team-mate, Thiago Almada, taking centerstage.

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 or 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 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.