Photo courtesy Kian Kaz

Inter Miami fans, junior Tobias Subiela and friend, wash hands and search fridge at half-time of an Inter Miami game.

After nearly a two-decade career, Lionel Messi has signed a contract with MLS team Inter Miami. His contract lasts until 2025 and gives him the option to resign.

Throughout his career, Messi was determined to win a World Cup for Argentina. After four World Cup failures and a World Cup final loss in 2014, Messi finally won the World Cup on Dec. 18, 2022. For fans, this victory sealed the infamous “GOAT” debate between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “I think he is the greatest of all time, especially with him winning the World Cup. But not only the World Cup, what he’s done throughout his career is magic and winning that cup really completes his legacy,” senior Tommy Tomyan said.

Messi had options after his PSG season ended. Teams including Al Hilal, Barcelona, and Inter Miami were showing interest in the Argentine. In early June, he finally made the decision to move and play in the USA with Inter Miami. “I think he chose the MLS over other leagues because of the love for the sport here in the U.S.. Even though the sport is newer in the U.S. than in other countries, the passion we have for it is unrivaled. I’ve watched a couple of games in the Saudi League and the games have no atmosphere. The atmosphere here in the U.S. is much better, no matter which team you support,” sophomore Langston Fabiyi said.

Messi’s decision to come to Miami was impacted by his family. Miami has a large Spanish-speaking population, which makes it a compelling environment for Messi and his family, due to his family’s Argentinian background and history of living in Spain. “I think he chose MLS over Saudi Arabia because he felt more comfortable and knew his family would enjoy it more over Saudi Arabia,” junior Tobias Subiela said.

Although there is a great passion in the MLS fanbase, the question of the skill level in the MLS still remains. The MLS is notorious for having lower levels of quality in comparison to European teams. “MLS teams are much weaker than European teams in the top leagues. There are also a lot of younger players in the MLS who are still developing,” Subiela said.

Up until joining Inter Miami, Messi played professionally in Europe his whole career. He has always played in a
promotion/relegation format with first place in the league receiving a trophy. However, in the MLS, the structure is similar to the NFL and other American sports leagues. The MLS has a 34-game season, which leads to a playoffs in which teams play to win the MLS Cup. This format has caused controversy because the same teams play each other every year. “I think there should be relegation because without it you keep seeing the same teams finish around last place every year. The playoffs do help Messi though because it is probably impossible for Inter Miami to win the league in the normal first place way. The playoffs do help,” Subiela said.