Lionel Messi is heading to MLS once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 30. The 35-year-old will sign with Inter Miami and move away from European football after he spurned FC Barcelona.
Messi will enjoy a vacation before his anticipated debut with the South Florida-based club. Canada men’s national team coach John Herdman believes that MLS and North America pulled off an “absolute coup” to land the Argentine.
“Well, If he was a bit younger, I would have hoped he came to a Canadian club. We’d keep him for five years and get his [Canadian] passport,” Herdman said (h/t TSN). “That would have been awesome.
“But I think MLS is just growing and growing and growing. Every year you see new teams, better facilities, a better standard of play, a more competitive style of play. We’ve seen the Italians [Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi] arrive at Toronto. You’ve seen Messi now, hopefully, coming into a club that he’ll transform — the fan base, he’ll transform the interest. I think it’s an absolute coup for MLS.”
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner reportedly isn’t going to alone as there are reports that Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes could arrive in Miami. Both players were teammates with Messi at PSG along with the Argentina national team.
Di Maria and Paredes would allow Messi to adapt to his new situation at Inter Miami with two familiar faces. Furthermore, there are also reports that Gerardo Martino could be in the mix for the managerial job as he’s coach Messi at club and international levels.
