Soccer legend Lionel Messi rejects lucrative Saudi offer as he decides to join Miami: reports

While the Saudi deal would be more lucrative for Messi, the Miami deal reportedly includes profit-sharing agreements with Adidas and Apple.

By Madeleine Hubbard

Published: June 7, 2023 2:27pm

Updated: June 7, 2023 3:34pm

Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi reportedly turned down a lucrative offer to play for a Saudi Arabian club and is instead going to play for the Florida-based team Inter Miami.

Messi, a 35-year-old former Barcelona forward, is set to join Inter Miami after he leaves his current team, Paris Saint-Germain, according to the BBC and The Athletic. His current two-year contract is set to end this summer.

Messi has won the award for the world's best player seven times and is expected to win it again following his success with Argentina last December, when they won the World Cup.

Al-Hilal, the Saudi team, is reportedly still trying to block Messi's move to Florida by offering him more than $1.5 billion for three years, per Spanish sports reporter Helena Condis Edo.

While the Saudi deal would be more lucrative for Messi, the Miami deal reportedly includes revenue-sharing agreements with Adidas and Apple.

Messi is expected to announce his move Wednesday, Forbes reported.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.