After postponing his romantic return, Messi follows in the footsteps of Pele and Cruyff.

 

  After the end of a two-year experience in Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine star, Lionel Messi, officially signed a contract with Inter Miami, looking forward to new glory as he approaches the thirty-sixth and follows the path of Pele and Cruyff in the American stadiums.

The Argentine star, world champion Lionel Messi, has officially signed a contract with Inter Miami, linking him to the MLS football club until 2025, with the ambition to continue building “this beautiful project,” according to the statement issued on Saturday by his new team.

"I am very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and the United States," Messi said. M—my home.

At the age of thirty-six, Lionel Messi can end his career satisfied that his glorious career is complete, after leading Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar last year. The Barcelona legend secured his legacy as the best of his generation, and he may now sit on the platform of historical legtalesongside his late compatriot Diego Armando Maradona and Brazilian Pele.

But it seems that he is not ready to leave the game yet, after the end of a two-year experience in Paris Saint-Germain. This reflected a dilemma for Messi in his search for his next destination. All clubs remain willing and happy to include the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, even in an advanced version.

However, contracting with Messi, whose annual salary in Paris amounted to 30 million euros ($32 million) after taxes, remains expensive nonetheless, leaving the player himself with a limited number of clubs capable of signing him. So his romantic return to childhood club Newell's Old Boys in his hometown of Rosario was postponed.

Barcelona wanted Messi back, and the move almost turned out to be a love story, too. At one point, a move to the Middle East seemed inevitable, but the allure of Major League Soccer (MLS) proved irresistible. Moving to the United States, Messi emulated Pele in his mid-30s, as did Dutchman Johan Cruyff.

The Englishman David Beckham was the last of the great players to move to the United States as a true global icon when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 at the age of 32. At the time, Messi was emerging on the world stage, having made his Barcelona debut at the age of 17 in 2004.

The Argentine played twice against Beckham in El Clásico, in which he scored a hat-trick as a teenager in a 3-3 draw in March 2007.

But football has changed in the years since, and Messi has established himself as one of the best players ever at the game.