Lionel Messi will be the next European football star to leave the old continent for MLS. The 35-year-old intends to sign with Inter Miami once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 30.
One player that’s familiar with the path that Messi is taking is Wayne Rooney. The former Manchester United man left the Premier League toward the end of his career to join DC United, where he’s now also the manager.
Rooney spoke about what it means to have Messi in the United States, and now is the marquee face of MLS.
“It’s great to see Messi come to this league,” Rooney said (h/t TyC Sports). “Over the years, we’ve seen the impact of players like David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“He’s arguably the greatest player of all time and recently won the World Cup pretty much on his own. He’s going to have a huge impact in [Inter] Miami and MLS. He’s a great signing and I’m sure everyone is excited to that he is here.”
Messi walks into a challenging situation at Inter Miami with the team being at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. However, the South Florida-based club will likely be making several roster changes to ensure they build a talented team around Messi this summer.
Furthermore, if Inter Miami hires Gerardo Martino, as the rumors might suggest, it would reunite Messi with a familiar manager to turn the team around and clinch a playoff spot.
