"It will complete the legacy of the greatest player” – When Inter Miami owner incredibly predicted Lionel Messi joining them soon
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas's old quotes on Lionel Messi have resurfaced amid reports that the Argentine has chosen the MLS side as his next club. In 2021, the American billionaire was confident that PSG star would play for his team.
Mas told Herad that he was working hard with David Beckham to ensure that Messi joins their team in the future. He added that the Argentine is the greatest of his generation, so signing him would line perfectly with their ambition to build a world-class team:
"David and I have been working really hard. We have aspirations of bringing the best players here, and Leo Messi is a generational player, arguably the best player of all time.
"I am optimistic Messi will play in an Inter Miami shirt because I think it will complete the legacy of the greatest player in our generation and will meet with the ambitions of the owners of Inter Miami to build a world-class team."
Prominent player agent Jerome Meary spoke about the possibility of Messi joining Inter Miami earlier this year. He told L'Equipe that the Argentine was the numero uno priority for the MLS side:
"He is the number one priority for Jorge Mas, the owner of Inter Miami. They were speaking since before Messi joined PSG, but talks have started again, and Mas spent a lot of time with Messi's representatives in Qatar."
Messi will become a free agent at the end of the month when his PSG contract expires. He reportedly has offers from Barcelona and Al Hilal but has picked Inter Miami as his next club.
Lionel Messi urged to pick Inter Miami by former MLS star
Former LA Galaxy star Carlos Ruiz said earlier this season that Lionel Messi was not a player who would be bouncing around leagues. He added that the Argentine should join Inter Miami this summer and beome a part of MLS history.
He reckons the PSG star would have a massive impact on the league and that he would be the biggest signing in MLS history, telling EFE:
“I saw first hand the impact of Beckham when he came. After that of Andrea Pirlo, that of David Villa. Many famous players have passed through here and have made MLS marketing grow.
"Bringing in a player like Lionel Messi is ambitious, also because of what it gives him as an image. I don’t see Lionel Messi bouncing around in different leagues around the world. I think the best thing for him is to bring his family to Miami, live in the United States and be part of the history of this league.”
Barcelona were optimistic about signing Lionel Messi this summer and held talks with his father and agent Jorge earlier this week. However, journalist Gerard Romero has said that the club need more time to figure out if they can afford the Argentine, which saw the move collapse.
Al Hilal had also pushed hard to sign Messi and offered him a world-record deal. Marca reported that a €500 million deal was on the Argentine's table, but the PSG star rejected the move.