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Lionel Messi signs contract with Inter Miami

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Argentina star Lionel Messi has signed for Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami on a deal that runs until 2025.

The 36-year-old striker, who helped Argentina win the World Cup last year in Qatar, will be introduced by the team at a ceremony on Sunday. He is expected to play for Inter Miami as soon as Friday.

“I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” Messi, who moves from Paris Saint-Germain, said in a statement.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s move to Miami has already caused a stir, and more people in the US are likely to become interested in football and MLS because of it.

It is also hoped that he will turn around the luck of the Miami team, which is last in the MLS Eastern Conference with a record of 5-13 and three draws.

“This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project,” Messi said. “The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”

Messi’s first game is set for Friday, when Inter Miami plays Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, a new competition between teams from the Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Mexican league.

It’s the best news for the North American league since English star David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. Beckham is now a co-owner of Inter Miami. After trying for years to find a place for a stadium, he started the MLS Miami team in 2020.

“Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city, players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much,” Beckham said in a statement.

“Today that dream came true.

“I couldn’t be prouder that a player of Leo’s caliber is joining our club, but I am also delighted to welcome a good friend, an amazing person and his beautiful family to join our Inter Miami community.

“The next phase of our adventure starts here and I can’t wait to see Leo take to the pitch.”