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Lionel Messi Abaca Press

Messi to Miami? Why the World Cup star might choose MLS

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated 5/3/23

After underperforming in the Champions League the past several years and enduring internal strife, Paris Saint-Germain will not renew Lionel Messi's contract this summer, L'Equipe reported. The move comes after Messi's unauthorized business travel to Saudi Arabia and subsequent two-week suspension from the club.

PSG's non-renewal of Messi's contract means the Argentine will essentially operate as a free agent. He'll be available to other clubs without a release clause or transfer fee.

With those figures racking up to $825M and $330M, respectively, for his initial move to PSG, this is huge for the soccer world. It levels the financial playing field, removes PSG from negotiations and leaves Messi free to make a transfer decision on his own.

So where might the 2022 World Cup winner end up? Many expect him to return to Barcelona, the club that signed him as a teen. Striker Robert Lewandowski has even said that Messi "belongs" to Barcelona, adding that "it'd be incredible to see him back here."

Robert Lewandowski: “Messi belongs to Barcelona, it’d be incredible to see him back here. We know his place is Barça”, says via @mundodeportivo #FCB

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen but I hope that next season Messi can play here and we can be together”. pic.twitter.com/HZeC7CyHTI
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 11, 2023

But Barcelona might not be able to afford him. The club nearly went into bankruptcy last summer and is mired in an expensive legal battle over alleged referee bribes. Messi would have to take a massive salary cut at Barcelona, and with the Saudi league readying a record offer for him to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East, that cut could be hard to stomach.

There's a third option for Messi: MLS and Inter Miami, now 12th in the league's Eastern Conference.

Inter Miami might seem like an odd choice for Messi. MLS teams Los Angeles FC, D.C. United or New York City FC could offer him more talented teammates, but Inter Miami has something those clubs don't: former English star and co-owner David Beckham as an ace in the hole.

Beckham's 2007 transfer to the Los Angeles Galaxy set the standard for big-money moves in MLS. He knows all about entering the league as a world superstar. A PSG alumnus, Beckham recently went to Paris to catch up with Messi in person.

As part of a visit to Paris, David Beckham went to the training centre of his former club to meet the players of Paris Saint-Germain. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hhIVQz4A5C
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 27, 2023

Beckham and Inter Miami cannot offer the emotional value of Barcelona or the wage value of a Saudi Arabia league, but Beckham knows the MLS can split the difference by offering something special — something he received when he came to America: equity in the club.

In early April, Miguel Delaney of the Independent reported about the possibility, and as summer nears with no other Messi offers in sight, Miami's proposal looks shrewd.

For Messi, getting a decent wage from Inter Miami, coupled with an equity stake in the franchise, would be akin to forsaking a Fortune 500 firm (Barcelona/Saudi Arabia) to join a tech startup (MLS). He'd get less cash compensation up front, but he could exponentially increase his earnings if Miami — and the league as a whole — continues to grow.

Only time will tell if this pays off for Messi and Inter Miami should the superstar head to the States, but MLS is proving it can compete creatively in the global transfer market. The league can leverage its financial solvency to create deals that aren't simply about dollars, and that bodes well for MLS's future.

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