How personal interests influenced Messi to leave PSG for Inter Miami USA

How personal interests influenced Messi to leave PSG for Inter Miami USA

Akan Anwankwo 17:24 - 08.06.2023

Lionel Messi could have decided to join his last club in his illustrious playing career. For reasons best known to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, he picked MLS side Inter Miami.

Every football player puts into consideration many personal factors before making a transfer decision to another club.

The case of Lionel Messi is not different as the Argentine star revealed he will be joining Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami this summer.

There have been many reactions to why Messi chose to play in the MLS rather than his former club Barcelona or the lucrative Saudi Pro League.

The Argentine revealed in a recent interview with MD that choosing to play for Inter Miami over other clubs is much more than money.

Here is realistically why Messi choose to play in the MLS

1. Family security

Lionel Messi and family | PulseSports.ng
Lionel Messi and family

Messi’s first priority is to protect his family and settling in North America is not a bad idea after having to deal with several conflicts in Europe.

Firstly, when it was announced that Messi will be leaving Barcelona in the winter of 2021, many eyebrows were raised, especially by thousands of fans in the city of Catalonia.

Fans trooped to his house to protest, plead while some even made verbal attacks at his family in front of his mansion.

Messi’s son Thiago responded to one fan who asked for his dad as reported by Spanish outlet El Desmarque.

The fans said: 

“Where is Leo Messi? We are going to laugh at Messi.” 

And Thiago responded: 

“and I am going to laugh at your parents.”

Another incident occurred in Paris when hundreds of fans trooped to Messi’s house asking him to leave the club following his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.

Officials of Paris Saint-Germain had to order extra security men to guard the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and his family, Daily Mail.

2. His $9m apartment in Miami

Porsche Design Tower | PulseSports.ng
Porsche Design Tower

The Argentine bought an apartment at the Porsche Design Tower in Miami worth $9m in 2021, knowing full well he would be returning very soon, The Sun.

The environment is serene and healthy for his family who will be loving the view of the Sunny Isles beachfront in Miami.

Messi might also want to settle down in the United States to help his kids speak English, since all of his three sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro only speak Spanish. 

3. Closeness to his homeland

Traveling back to his native land from Miami will be a lot easier than spending many hours in his private jet from Europe.

Since Messi is not retired from international duties with Argentina, he will be having enough time to rest before match days, contrary to having just to rest for a day and fly back to base for another long hours.

While at Barcelona, Messi travels 14 hours to Buenos Aires and nearly the same number of hours from Paris for national assignments.

It is just nine hours away from Miami to the capital city of Argentina with no stopovers which is favourable to the football icon

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