"Bigger than any athlete of any sport" - MLS commissioner tips Lionel Messi to have huge impact on American sports if he joins Inter Miami
MLS commissioner Don Garber has claimed that the league will do everything possible to help Inter Miami CF sign Lionel Messi. He believes if the Argentine moves to the MLS, it will be bigger than anything an athlete has done in any sport.
Messi is heading towards the end of his contract at PSG and has been linked with a move back to Barcelona. However, the Catalan side are in a financial crisis and could be blocked from signing their former player by La Liga.
Speaking in a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors on Tuesday, Garber told CBS Sports that MLS are ready to help Inter Miami sign Messi. He said:
"There isn't a league that wouldn't like to have Lionel Messi in their league. There are a lot of dynamics that are going on there. He's got a lot of things to think about in terms of where he wants to continue his career. I can tell you that we would love him in Major League Soccer."
The MLS commissioner continued:
"We will work very hard with Miami, who is the team that is hoping to be able to sign him, to come up with a program for him that will allow him to establish a legacy that I think could be unprecedented globally, let alone unprecedented here in our country because I think of him as someone who crosses so many barriers that he can be bigger than any athlete of any sport that has ever played here in the United States. We have been pretty effective at coming up with clever ways to sign players for our clubs in the right market. It's very real-time and I hope that we're able to get in front of the discussion and hopefully bring something over the finish line."
Will Lionel Messi move to MLS?
Inter Miami CF have not given up hope of signing Lionel Messi as they believe the Argentine would be open to joining them before calling it quits. The club's co-owner, David Beckham, has always insisted that the club are open to holding talks with the Argentine over a move to the United States.
However, should a move to Barcelona fail, Inter Miami are unlikely to get a free run at the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. Saudi Arabian sides are also in the chase, while PSG are also keen to keep hold of their forward.