Argentinean football star Lionel Messi (35 years old) refused an invitation to play football in Saudi Arabia with a salary of up to 400 million USD/year. He also decided to end his “old love” with Barcelona – the team that Messi has been associated with for almost the entire length of his football career.
Messi chose to join Inter Miami – a “bottom of the table” club in the US. Many people were surprised by this decision. In fact, behind Messi’s choice is the priority for his family. Messi wants his family to have a quality and stable life in the long term in Miami (USA).
Messi has chosen to join Inter Miami (Photo: Marca).
Joining Inter Miami is a stunning move for Messi. Inter Miami just started playing in Major League Soccer in 2020. This club is currently at the bottom of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference.
Former football star David Beckham is the club’s president and one of the major shareholders of Inter Miami. Leaving Paris Saint-Germain – the famous French football club, Messi refused many attractive offers, choosing Inter Miami – a struggling team.
What made Messi make that decision? The answer is simple: He had more to consider than money.
Lionel Messi always thinks about his family in every decision
Messi spoke about his decision to join Inter Miami: “I’m at a point where I want to step away from the big attention, I want to think more about my family. I want to enjoy time with my family. If it was just a matter of money, I would have chosen to go to Saudi Arabia or somewhere else, then I would have received a lot of money.”
Messi can completely follow the same path as his “senior” Beckham chose (Photo: The Sun).First of all, in terms of his career, Messi must have started thinking about his future after retirement. Owning a football club is an attractive direction for him. In American football, the opportunity for Messi to become a powerful figure and own a football club is completely possible.
Former football star David Beckham used to play for LA Galaxy (USA), and now David Beckham has become the chairman and major shareholder of Inter Miami. Messi can completely follow the same path as his “senior” Beckham has chosen.
Messi has said that he does not think he will continue to play in the 2026 World Cup, because he will be 39 years old by then. But if Messi is called up to the Argentina national team to play in the 2026 World Cup, the fact that he has settled in the US so early will be a big advantage.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. If Messi participates in the 2026 World Cup, he and his family will enjoy many advantages. In some aspects, Messi is like a “home team”.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, Messi will attract more expensive advertising contracts, because he is the top player playing in the US – the country co-hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Joining Inter Miami, Messi will be able to raise his three sons with his wife in a beautiful coastal city (Photo: ESPN).
Second, Miami is no stranger to Messi’s family, who spent their summer vacation there in 2021. The coastal city left such a strong impression on Messi that he soon spent money to buy a $9 million apartment in a luxury apartment building.
Miami is a popular destination for wealthy people in the US and many other countries to buy real estate. Miami is also the city with the largest Latino community in the US. More than half of the foreigners who own real estate in Miami are from Latin America.
Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema – players who chose to play in Saudi Arabia, Messi has a different direction, he is looking towards the long-term future of himself and his family.
By joining Inter Miami, Messi and his wife will be able to raise their three sons (aged 5 to 11) in a beautiful coastal city. The Messi family will be able to enjoy a classy, quiet and private life. High-end residential areas in Miami highly value this factor.
With Inter Miami, Messi will have more “relaxed” playing years and more time for his family. He and his family will experience a life that is both classy and private in a beautiful city.
In the process, Messi can gradually realize his dream of owning his own football club. When making this important decision, Messi calculated in the most beneficial way for himself and his family.
Lionel Messi and his loyal love since… 5 years old
Messi and his wife – Antonela Roccuzzo (35 years old) have loved each other since they were… 5 years old. The love between Messi and Roccuzzo is a “childhood love”. The two started building their relationship in 2008, and they officially got married in 2017. Currently, the couple has 3 sons. Wherever Messi plays, Roccuzzo and the children are always there.
Messi’s small family (Photo: Daily Mail).In her personal career, Roccuzzo owns a very popular children’s fashion brand . Initially, Roccuzzo studied to become a dentist, but after deciding to stick with Messi, she became his “housewife”, taking care of the family.
It has been 30 years since Roccuzzo first met Messi, currently, the couple owns many villas in different countries, such as Barcelona and Ibiza (Spain), Miami (USA), Rosario (Argentina)…
Unlike the wives and girlfriends of many other famous players, Roccuzzo pursues a simple, private lifestyle. She does not like to show off, party, shop… Messi’s love for Roccuzzo is also different. While the wives and girlfriends of players are usually models, showbiz stars, social media stars, Messi’s wife is his “childhood sweetheart”.
Roccuzzo is the cousin of footballer Lucas Scaglia – a childhood friend of Messi. From the first time he met Roccuzzo at his friend’s house, Messi liked Roccuzzo.
Every time Roccuzzo came to visit his cousin, young Messi would find an excuse to stop by. Messi wrote Roccuzzo letters expressing his feelings, and young Messi had hoped that when they grew up, Roccuzzo would agree to be his girlfriend.
When talking about his wife, Messi always has the most respectful words (Photo: Daily Mail).
Since the age of 13, Messi joined the training center of Barcelona club (Spain), the young Messi still maintains contact with the girl Roccuzzo.
5 years later, Roccuzzo’s best friend passed away in a traffic accident. Messi heard the news and felt worried, he immediately returned to Argentina to be with Roccuzzo.
As adults, Messi and Roccuzzo wanted to start a relationship, even if it meant a long-distance relationship. In her hometown, Roccuzzo attended university, majoring in humanities and sociology. After graduating, she studied dentistry. But love forced her to change all her plans.
In 2010, Roccuzzo moved to Barcelona to be with Messi, ending their long-distance relationship. In 2012, their first son was born.
When talking about his wife, Messi always has the most respectful words: “She has many good qualities with outstanding advantages. The way she handles daily tasks, her personality, her always balanced and very positive emotional state…, all make me feel admiration.
She always faces problems in a very instructive way. My wife is an intelligent person and always excels in every aspect in my eyes.”
