Last Updated: August 18, 2023, 07:35 IST
Lionel Messi says switch to Inter Miami is ‘opposite’ of joining PSG. (AP Photo)
Lionel Messi is happy with his decision to join Inter Miami after a not so memorable stint with Paris Saint-Germain.
Lionel Messi made a stunning switch to Paris Saint-Germain from his boyhood club FC Barcelona in 2021, something that was unthinkable of considering the immense success he enjoyed with the Catalan giants. However, financial difficulties at the club forced Messi to take the big call.
Not that Messi had a memorable stint in the French capital. After being greeted with much fanfare, the Argentine maestro ended up leaving earlier this year following a section of fans booing him repeatedly.
“As I said at the time, my departure to Paris was not something I wanted, it was not something I wanted to leave Barcelona and, so to speak, it was from one day to the next,” Messi was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
However, Messi is enjoying life after joining Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami where he has scored nine goals in just six appearances so far.
“And, well, I also had to get used to a place that was totally different from where I had been living all my life, both in terms of the city and in a sporting sense, and, well, it was difficult, but the opposite of what is happening to me now here,” Messi said.
There were speculations about Messi’s next move after it became apparent that he would no longer be staying with PSG. A romantic reunion with Barcelona seemed a real possibility before the world cup winner landed in Miami.
“I can tell you that I am very happy with the decision we made, not only for the game, for how it is going, but for my family, for how we live day by day, for how we enjoy the city, for this new experience and the reception of the people that was extraordinary from the first day, not only in Miami,” Messi said.
Messi also took a veiled shot at how he was treated by fans in Paris.
“I made two away trips with the team and the treatment of the people towards me was spectacular. So I am grateful and happy for the moment I am living and above all to be able to continue enjoying what I liked all my life, to play and to be able to do it in this way with joy,” Messi said.