Lionel Messi will soon join Inter Miami FC from MLS. An official announcement is expected later this week. The arrival of the Argentine world champions has been hailed as a potentially transformative step for Major League Soccer and as such raises many questions.
Here are some of the key questions, answered in as much detail as we currently know:
How long has he signed?
Messi’s contract runs for two and a half seasons with an option to extend it for another year. So he is under contract until 2025 with an option to stay until the 2026 season.
When will he play for the first time?
The Athletic first reported weeks ago that Inter Miami are targeting their first game in the Leagues Cup (a new competition involving all teams from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX) on July 21 against Cruz Azul in what should be Messi’s debut. That still seems to be the case.
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Does he play in the MLS All-Star Game?
No. The MLS All-Star Team that will take on Arsenal in this game has already been decided and after all, Messi’s debut is set to come just two days after this game. It was always unlikely that he would travel to DC for that.
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What number will he wear?
Messi’s number 10 kits for Barcelona and Argentina remain iconic in football history, so much so that it was downright odd to see him wear the number 30 in his two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain (although he wore this number). previously as a youth at Barça). Now Messi returns to a classic: he will almost certainly wear the number 10 for Miami, which the club have deliberately left vacant all season in hope/anticipation of his arrival.
Inter Miami’s number 10 was previously worn by fellow Argentinian Gonzalo Higuain in 2022 and by Mexican Rodolfo Pizarro in 2021 and 2020.
Where is he now?
Messi landed at Fort Lauderdale Airport on Tuesday. Previously he was in the Bahamas. After finishing his season at Paris Saint-Germain and playing some friendlies and testimonials with Argentina national team, Messi and his family have been spending the last few weeks on vacation in the Caribbean.
How much does he earn and who pays it?
Unlike normal MLS contracts, this is not an easy thing to do. For a legendary player and a potentially league-changing new signing, MLS and Inter Miami have proposed creative compensation to ensure he isn’t lured to Saudi Arabia.
Messi’s contract is valued at around US$50-60m a year, but that includes the value of his shares in Inter Miami, which will be activated after his time at the club. On top of that, Messi receives additional income from MLS partners. He will receive a portion of the new MLS Season Pass subscriptions on Apple TV, as well as compensation deals with Adidas (his long-time sponsor and kit maker for MLS and all 29 clubs) and Fanatics.
The Adidas and Apple parts of the deal are functionally separate from the base salary he will earn as a player in MLS. The MLS Players’ Association will release salary details for all players later this year, as it did a few months ago. Messi’s number is eagerly awaited.
What is the designated player rule?
To facilitate David Beckham’s landmark signing to the LA Galaxy in 2007, MLS introduced a new rule on top of their salary cap structure: each team could pay a player, the Designated Player (DP), as much as they wanted.
In today’s MLS, where Beckham co-owns Messi’s Miami, that rule has been expanded to allow MLS clubs three DP slots. Regardless of how much each DP is contractually paid, their salary counts towards the budget at the senior rate cap (this varies a little each year, but in 2023 it’s $651,520).
For example, the highest-paid MLS player is Chicago Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri. He earns $8,153,000 (according to the MLS Players Association) but meets Chicago’s salary cap at $651,520.
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Does Messi speak English?
If so, then he never made it public. He has Tell the BBC before an interview in 2021 that he has been learning English for a year and a half, but understands the language but does not speak it.
Is Messi the captain?
That hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s worth noting that Inter Miami’s designated captain at the start of the season, Gregore, has yet to be sidelined for at least a few more months after picking up a foot injury in Miami’s second game. Forward Leonardo Campana wore the armband in Miami’s last game against Columbus Crew. Given Messi’s stature and the lack of a permanent captain, the armband is likely to go to him.
Who will train him?
That would be Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who you may also know as Messi’s coach at Barcelona in 2013-2014 and Argentina in 2014-2016. Martino will also be known to North American soccer fans as the manager of Atlanta United (with whom he won the MLS Cup in 2018) and the Mexico national team from 2019 to 2022. Martino and Messi, both Argentines, have a long history that you can read about in detail here.
Can I easily buy tickets?
It depends on what amount of money you consider “easy”. A ticket for Messi’s rumored debut against Cruz Azul on July 21 costs at least $350 at the time of writing. That price – around $300 – covers most of Messi’s games against Miami for the rest of the season, both home and away.
is he still good
Not only is he good, he’s still arguably the best player in the world.
Messi scored 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 league games for his former club, Paris Saint-Germain and helped the star-studded side to the Ligue 1 title last season. In the vocals was the connection between Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar unstoppable for the opposition defence, with Messi and Neymar operating in the deeper areas and delivering passes into space for Mbappé, PSG’s main goalscorer.
Mbappé and Messi met twice at the World Cup, with Mbappe’s France beating Argentina en route to the title in 2018 and Argentina winning a penalty shootout in the 2022 final. At this more recent tournament, Messi reminded doubters that he still belongs Despite his age, he is one of the best players in world football, scoring seven goals including two in the final and the crucial first against Mexico in the group stage after the opening defeat by Saudi Arabia. For his performances during the tournament, Messi won his second Golden Ball, the trophy awarded to the best individual player at a World Cup, after winning his first in 2014.
While Inter Miami have struggled this season, Messi is expected to raise the cap significantly.
What if people pay big bucks to see him and he doesn’t play?
Then history will repeat itself. David Beckham’s arrival at the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 is probably the closest analogy to Messi’s move. The notable difference is that Beckham arrived with an ankle injury that limited his minutes during his first half of the season in the United States. Ticket prices hover around the league But those buyers were unlikely to see Beckham, let alone play any significant minutes: he only made five appearances (two starts) in the Galaxy’s 18 remaining league games. The prices were what they were.
On a positive note, Messi appears to be in good health as he begins his Miami adventure, making ticket holders far more likely to actually see him play from the start.
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Is there also an Apple documentation of him?
In June, Apple announced a four-part documentary on Messi’s World Cup career, including exclusive access and interviews from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The title and release date of the series have not yet been announced.
Is Messi the greatest of all time?
There’s still some debate about that, albeit less than before his 2022 world title with Argentina. Over his 19-year career at the top of European and international football, Messi has scored over 800 goals, won countless major trophies and picked up a record seven Ballon d’Or awards, football’s most prestigious individual award.
But it’s his remarkable creative ability that, in the eyes of many, sets him apart from many of the greats, including his most notable contemporary rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. At the peak of his game, Messi contributes in all phases of the attacking game with his excellent passing and dribbling. His ability to create chances out of thin air is comparable to that of Argentina icon Diego Maradona, Messi’s compatriot and also the claim to be the ‘greatest of all time’.
Alongside Messi and Maradona, Pelé is the third name most frequently mentioned in this discussion. During his 18-year career with Brazilian club Santos, Pelé scored 569 goals in 583 recorded league games, but it was his performances for Brazil that made him the first soccer star to transcend the sport in the world. During his international career he was the only player to win three world championships, the first at the age of 17. After four previous attempts, Messi finally won the biggest prize in world football last year at the age of 35.
(Photo: Fred Lee/Getty Images)