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It appears Lionel Messi has finally made a decision on his future, one that has newly-christened ESPN employee Pat McAfee truly stunned.
According to Guillem Balague, Messi has chosen his next destination - Inter Miami CF.
The World Cup champion reportedly had a choice between moving to Major League Soccer, returning to Barcelona, or a big (BIG) money move to Saudi Arabia, a la Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the announcement is yet to be made, The Athletic reports that Lionel Messi's decision came down to either a homecoming to Barcelona or a move to David Beckham's Inter Miami. A move to Saudi Arabia, then was seemingly not under consideration despite the league's recent moves to bring former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema and Chelsea's N'Golo Kante on board.
As things stand, Miami is currently bottom of the MLS and without a permanent head coach. Former manager Phil Neville was let go by the club after a run of four straight games without a win.
Lionel Messi Inter Miami move: Everything we know so far
While his salary details haven't been revealed just yet, according to The Athletic, the Argentine icon could very well end up with a share of the revenue generated by his move to the MLS.
The Athletic's report read:
"Multiple sources involved in or briefed on the high-level league discussions said earlier this week that MLS and Apple have discussed offering Messi a share of the revenue generated by new subscribers to MLS Season Pass, the league’s streaming package on Apple TV+."
"Both sides view Messi’s potential involvement in Major League Soccer as a boon; Apple and MLS signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion agreement this spring. On Tuesday, Apple revealed that a four-part docuseries chronicling Messi’s five World Cup appearances would stream on Apple TV+."
Adidas could also step into the picture since the German sportswear giant is among the league's largest corporate sponsors. Messi himself has a lifetime endorsement deal with the company, so the smart money would be on Adidas having a say in his unveiling.
When could Lionel Messi make his MLS debut?
The Athletic additionally reported that Messi's MLS debut could come against Mexico's Crus Azul late in July.
Inter Miami will lock horns with Cruz Azul on July 21 in Miami's DRV PNK Stadium.
