Lionel Messi heading to Inter Miami: reports
Lionel Messi during a match between Paris Saint-Germain and Clermont at the Parc des Princes in Paris, on June 3, 2023. (Michel Euler / AP)
Global soccer icon Lionel Messi is planning to sign with Inter Miami CF, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
The star of Argentina's 2022 World Cup championship reportedly is opting to join the MLS ranks over returning to Barcelona or accepting a lucrative offer to play in Saudi Arabia.
Messi, who turns 36 on June 24, officially becomes a free agent when his contract at France's Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of this month.
He could make his debut for Miami in July or August, per the reports.
Financial problems at Barcelona reportedly quashed Messi's desire to reunite with the Spanish La Liga club, where he gained worldwide fame from 2004-21.
Saudi Arabia offered a reported US$400 million a year to play at Al-Hilal, which would allow him to renew a rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo although in a vastly diminished spotlight from the European soccer scene.
Messi owns property in Miami and has said many times over the past year that he would like to play in the United States.
Terms of an agreement with Inter Miami are unclear at this point, although Messi would almost certainly raise the bar for the highest salary in MLS history. Toronto FC is paying Lorenzo Insigne a record $14 million.
Inter Miami also could offer him a minority stake in the club, which is owned by billionaire businessman Jorge Mas and his brother, Jose, and retired soccer great David Beckham.
As for the MLS, Messi's arrival would mark the league's biggest splash signing since Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007.
MLS commissioner Don Garber told The Athletic in March that bringing Messi to the United States would be a boon for the league.
"You're dealing with perhaps the most special player in the history of the game," Garber said of Messi. "So when there are rumors of him connected to Miami, that's great. And if it could happen, it would be terrific for MLS, it would be terrific for Messi and his family, and like everything with us, we try to run every opportunity down."
Inter Miami (5-11-0) currently sit last in the Eastern Conference with 15 points. Only New York City FC have scored fewer goals (11) in the East than Miami (15).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Kinew says federal role in landfill search wasn't part of conversation with PM
Manitoba premier-designate Wab Kinew insists he will keep a commitment to search the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of two First Nations women who are suspected to have been victims of an alleged serial killer.
Liberal MP sides with Conservatives on failed motion to 'repeal all carbon taxes'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's latest unsuccessful attempt to call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to repeal his carbon pricing system has secured the support of one Liberal MP.
Here's how much it costs to raise children in Canada, according to new statistics
A new report from Statistics Canada estimates how much parents will spend on children over the course of their lifetime.
Canada-India tensions: How we got here and what's at stake
In the past month, Canada has accused the Indian government of being involved in a murder on Canadian soil and India has ordered Canada to remove most of its diplomats from the country. Here's how the two countries got to this point, as well as what's at stake if tensions don't ease.
Premier Wab Kinew: From rapper to reporter to Manitoba's top political office
Rap artist. Journalist. Economics student. Premier. Wab Kinew's path as a young man, including several brushes with the law and some convictions, did not appear a likely path to becoming the first First Nations premier of a province.
Rideau Hall apologizes for honouring Nazi veteran, Trudeau 'carefully' considering unsealing records
Rideau Hall is apologizing for the historic appointment of a man who fought for a Nazi unit in the Second World War, to the Order of Canada. Now, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon's office says it is examining two subsequent medals granted in the last two decades. This, as Jewish advocacy groups say the recent and resurfacing recognitions further make their case for the need to unseal Holocaust-related records.
Veterans' headstones vandalized in Fredericton cemetery
It’s been more than a week since a number of headstones in the veterans’ section of a Fredericton cemetery were vandalized and still no leads on who was behind it.
Rail outage that stranded Via, GO Train, other passengers caused by software upgrade: CN
The massive outage on Canadian National Railway Co. lines that delayed thousands of Toronto-area commuters during the evening rush hour Tuesday can be traced to a software upgrade, the company says.
Canadian public libraries played an important role during the pandemic: report
A new report finds that Canadian public libraries were national assets in providing access to knowledge and health to communities during the pandemic, according to the Canadian Urban Institute and Canadian Urban Libraries Council.
Politics
-
Kinew says federal role in landfill search wasn't part of conversation with PM
Manitoba premier-designate Wab Kinew insists he will keep a commitment to search the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of two First Nations women who are suspected to have been victims of an alleged serial killer.
-
Liberal MP sides with Conservatives on failed motion to 'repeal all carbon taxes'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's latest unsuccessful attempt to call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to repeal his carbon pricing system has secured the support of one Liberal MP.
-
Rideau Hall apologizes for honouring Nazi veteran, Trudeau 'carefully' considering unsealing records
Rideau Hall is apologizing for the historic appointment of a man who fought for a Nazi unit in the Second World War, to the Order of Canada. Now, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon's office says it is examining two subsequent medals granted in the last two decades. This, as Jewish advocacy groups say the recent and resurfacing recognitions further make their case for the need to unseal Holocaust-related records.
Health
-
U.K. plans to raise legal smoking age each year until it applies to whole population
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday proposed raising the legal age that people in England can buy cigarettes by one year, every year until it is illegal for the whole population and smoking hopefully will be gradually phased out among young people.
-
'Unrelenting' fast-food ads using privacy 'loopholes' to target children: study
A first-of-its-kind study by the University of Ottawa has discovered a lack of information on what data and information is collected on children from food service apps.
-
Adolescent ER visits in Ontario for eating disorders saw big jump during pandemic: study
The biggest jump in Ontario emergency room visits and hospitalizations for eating disorders during the first 30 months of the pandemic was seen in adolescents aged 10 to 17, according to a new study.
Sci-Tech
-
U.S. in antitrust trial accuses Google of illegal methods to push up ad prices
A lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department pressed a Google executive on Wednesday about techniques the search and advertising giant used to push up online advertising prices in an allegedly unfair way.
-
Trio wins Nobel Prize in chemistry for quantum dots, tiny particles that power TVs and phones
Three scientists in the United States won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work on quantum dots -- particles just a few atoms in diameter that can release very bright coloured light and whose applications in everyday life include electronics and medical imaging.
-
3 scientists win Nobel Prize in physics for looking at electrons in atoms during split seconds
Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for their work on how electrons move around the atom during the tiniest fractions of seconds, a field that could one day lead to better electronics or disease diagnoses.
Entertainment
-
Late-night shows return after writers strike as actors resume talks that could end their standoff
Late-night talk shows are returning Monday after a five-month absence brought on by the Hollywood writers strike, while actors completed the first day of talks that could end their own long work walk-off.
-
Mariah Carey is going on a Christmas tour. Here's when it comes to Toronto
Mariah Carey is bringing Christmas to Toronto a bit earlier this year.
-
Suspect charged in rapper Tupac Shakur's fatal shooting makes first court appearance in Las Vegas
A self-described gangster who police and prosecutors say masterminded the shooting death of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 made his first public appearance Wednesday on a murder charge.
