17 August 2023 , 22:44
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Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has admitted that he never wanted to join PSG in the first place after Barcelona's dire financial state forced him to leave a free agent in 2021.
The 36-year-old struggled to settle into life in Paris, as did his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and his three young children Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro. Messi was unable to find his usual lofty scoring rhythm in his Ligue 1 debut season, netting just six times while providing 14 assists, as PSG reclaimed the French league title off Lille.
His second and final season saw Messi show glimpses of being back to his best, racking up 16 goals and 16 assists in the Ligue 1 title defence, but early Champions League exits in both seasons saw him come under criticism, especially from PSG's ultras.
After 'completing football' with a World Cup win last December, Messi decided to seek a new challenge when his contract was up and his family would be at the centre of his decision.
And so he rejected the ridiculous riches on offer from Saudi Arabia to move to Inter Miami, where he has hit the ground running, scoring nine goals in six games, while also smiling again - something seen far and few between in Paris.
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"My departure from Barcelona to Paris was not something I wanted, I did not want to leave and it happened from one day to the next, it also took a while for me to quickly get used to a totally different place both in the city and in sports and made difficult," Messi savagely admitted in his pre-Leagues Cup final press conference on Thursday. "But that is the complete opposite of what is happening to me here, thank God."
Inter Miami were having a torrid season before Messi, Sergio Busquets, and, Jordi Alba arrived, but the franchise are on the cusp of its first trophy on Sunday. Miami will take on Nashville in the Leagues Cup final, which saw Messi and Co brush aside MLS competition on their six-game unbeaten run.
Messi took his first press conference as an Inter Miami player ahead of Sunday's Leagues Cup final (Getty)"We are still finishing settling in, we have only been in Miami for a month and a half, we still do not have the house where we are going to stay definitively, although we are very well where we are," Messi added.
"But it was very easy for me to adapt because we were convinced to come to this place and the people made everything very easy, both the club and the fans and the people I meet on the street. The city is spectacular and makes it possible for me to live day-to-day in peace.
“The kids will start school soon too and that also makes you settle in so even though we still have a bit to go, everything was much easier than we thought because the change from Barcelona to Paris was complicated and this was totally different."
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner says he and his family are settling into life in Miami (Getty)Following Sunday's Cup final, Messi will hope to fix Inter Miami's poor MLS Eastern Conference campaign. The Club sits bottom and 12 points off the last playoff spot with 12 games to go - but a trophy win could put the MLS on notice.
"It would be incredible for me and for all the people who are fans, for the same club that is betting on continuing to grow and having a big change to be a reference team, winning titles helps a lot and it would be impressive," Messi said of potential Leagues Cup glory.
"The truth is that it is very nice how the people of Inter come every game to accompany us. The stadium was always full. It is a very young club and to be able to get our first title would be beautiful for everything."