Finally opening up on the reality of his arguably ‘failed’ transfer to PSG, Lionel Messi admits he’s now enjoying a new lease of life in Miami with his family as he prepares to lead his new team into Sunday’s Leagues Cup final.
The Inter Miami star has admitted that it was never his desire to join the Parisians in the first place after Barcelona’s dire financial conundrum forced him to leave as a free agent in 2021 and – despite being initially welcomed with open arms as a hero at the Parc des Princes club – soon found the 36-year-old struggling to settle into life in Paris together with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and his three young children Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.
As a result, Messi was unable to settle in quickly enough to find his usual lofty scoring rhythm in his Ligue 1 debut season, netting merely six times while providing 14 assists, as PSG reclaimed the French league title off Lille but came way short of achieving their Champions League ambitions.
His second PSG campaign the following season saw a relatively happier Messi showing glimpses of being back to his best, racking up 16 goals and 16 assists in the Ligue 1 title defence. However early exits in both Champions League seasons saw a hailstorm of criticism descending on him, especially from PSG’s ultras.
After his majestic World Cup win with Argentina last December, Messi decided it was time to seek new challenges when his contract was up and his family could again be at the center of his all-important decisions.
Without even batting an eyelid, he rejected the ludicrous riches on offer from Saudi Arabia to move to Inter Miami, where he has spectacularly hit the ground running, scoring nine goals in six games, with broad smiles on his face.
“My departure from Barcelona to Paris was not something I wanted, I did not want to leave and it happened from one day to the next, it also took a while for me to quickly get used to a totally different place both in the city and in sports and made difficult,” Messi savagely admitted in his pre-Leagues Cup final press conference on Thursday.
“But that is the complete opposite of what is happening to me here, thank God.”
Inter Miami were having a torrid season before Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba arrived, but the franchise are now finally on the the brink of lahying their hands on their first trophy on Sunday.
Miami will take on Nashville in the Leagues Cup final, which saw Messi and his magnificent sidekicks brush aside MLS competition on their six-game unbeaten run.