We understand, old man: Good luck with that Florida retirement. That’s essentially what FC Barcelona said about its most storied alum’s desire to go play in Miami. The club’s snippy statement read in part: “Barcelona president (Joan) Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years.”
At 35, Lionel Messi, arguably the best player to ever play the world’s default sport, appears poised to become the latest global star called upon to enhance the sport’s stature in the United States. Upon the winding down of his contract at Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain, Messi announced he wants to come to Inter Miami—and Major League Soccer—for what will presumably be his last act on the field.