It’s au revoir to Paris and a sunny hiya to Miami for one of the best football players the world has ever seen – even if this move has had some people scratching their heads. There was plenty of speculation that Lionel Messi would accept an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal as he enters the final phase of his phenomenal career. Instead, he went for Inter Miami, the side co-owned by David Beckham – and a club that’s hardly on the up and up, having lost 11 of their 16 league games this season. But Miami it is for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner – and Becks and co-owners Jorge and Jose Mas are delighted they’ve managed to bring the legend to their relatively lowly side.

Source: New York Times June 23, 2023 10:31 UTC