Lionel Messi ready to step away from Argentina duty to focus on Inter Miami

24 June 2023 , 21:30

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Lionel Messi ready to step away from Argentina duty to focus on Inter Miami

Lionel Messi is ready to stun Argentina - and make Inter Miami CF front-man David Beckham a happy man.

The World Cup winner is preparing to step away from international football with Argentina to concentrate on his new career at Inter Miami in the MLS where Beckham is a co-owner along with majority shareholders Jorge and Jose Mas.

But Messi, who celebrated his 36th birthday yesterday, is only planning a temporary separation from his beloved La Albiceleste.

The former Barcelona star, who recently left Paris St Germain, is believed to have recently told Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni he’d ideally like a year off from national team duties while he and his family settle in the USA.

That has hit Scaloni hard and needs to be ratified by the Argentinian football federation before any agreement with Messi can be reached.

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But such is Messi’s standing in his home country on the back of Argentina’s World Cup triumph in Qatar - their first since 1986 - it’s believed the country’s governing football rulers and Scaloni will accept the players request.

Messi and his family, wife Antonela Roccuzzo and sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, are believed to have already looked at houses in Miami having agreed to make the MLS his next destination as his stellar career winds down.

But having taken the decision to play his club football outside Europe for the first time since joining Barcelona as a 13-year-old in February 2001, Messi is keen to protect his legacy by taking life in the MLS seriously.

Lionel Messi is ready to retire from Argentina duty (Getty Images)

He believes taking a step back from international football for up to twelve months will enable him and his family to adjust to their new surroundings, professionally and personally.

Those who know Messi best say his family are on an equal footing with his life in football and they are an ultra-close unit.

Alongside making sure his family are happy and settled, Messi is also believed to want to prolong his international career with the star targeting a swansong with Argentina at the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.

It all adds up to great news for Beckham who recently sacked former Manchester United Class of ‘92 pal Phil Neville with the team sitting bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Beckham, now 48, played a leading role in persuading Messi to make Miami his next destination in a glittering career that’s seen him labelled by many as the greatest player of all time.

Steve Bates