After Inter Miami managed to lure Lionel Messi to the MLS, they are looking to bring his Argentine teammate Angel Di Maria as well.
After months of speculation about his future, Lionel Messi has a new club in the MLS. The Argentine confirmed that he has decided to leave European football to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami. When his current contract with Paris Saint Germain ends on June 30, he will become an official Inter Miami player.
And now it is rumored that Inter Miami wants to bring Messi’s friend and teammate in the national team Angel Di Maria to Florida as well.
Di Maria is a longtime teammate of Messi in the Argentina national team back to the U20 days. The pair have been through it all, going through many heartbreaks in major finals, to win the Copa America, Finalissima, and the World Cup together.
They even spent a season together at Paris Saint Germain in 2021. But Di Maria left on a free to join Juventus. After a year, he has left the Serie A club for free, keen to find a new club.
Lionel Messi Inter Miami contract explained
Lionel Messi has signed a two year deal with the club, with an option to renew for one more year.
In order to lure Messi to the United States, Inter Miami had to pull out all their tricks. Inter Miami has received support from two of the league’s biggest partners: Adidas and Apple.
According to The Athletic, the MLS and Apple have agreed to give Messi a percentage of the revenue generated when new subscribers join the MLS Season Pass. The MLS Season Pass is the official streaming channel of the league on Apple TV+.
🚨🇺🇲| Inter Miami's contract to Leo Messi includes:
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) June 8, 2023
💸 A percentage of profit share from Adidas.
🤑 A percentage of profit share from Apple.
🔥 Acquisition of a part of Inter Miami's shares after his retirement, per @TheAthleticFC ✍️ pic.twitter.com/py1NtfHczd
Adidas already sponsors Messi- the biggest asset of the company. They are connected since 2006 and Messi signed a lifetime agreement back in 2017. Moreover, now they are also chipping in to entice Messi. He will be given a percentage of the revenue generated when Messi joins the league.
Messi will also be given some shares of the club and possibly be given the option to own a future MLS club when he retires.
Should Angel Di Maria sign in Inter Miami or stay in Europe?
Angel Di Maria is said to want to continue in Europe, as he wants to be competitive for a few more years. Portuguese club Benfica wants to sign him, but Di Maria is still assessing his options.
According to Argentine journalist César Luis Merlo, Di Maris is informed on the interest from the club.
And now the offer from Miami is said to tempt him. The chance to get a big paying contract in a nice city like Miami, and play with his teammate Lionel Messi at the club level, is very much attractive to him.
Inter Miami are considering a move for Ángel Di Maria as free agent, as called by @CLMerlo — understand they are informed on conditions of the deal. 🇺🇸🇦🇷 #MLS
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 8, 2023
Europe remains the priority, Benfica are on it. Meanwhile, Inter Miami are still insisting to sign Sergio Busquets. pic.twitter.com/kSMnIzsZRp
But Inter Miami is not at the competitive level that Europe provides. Many clubs in MLS play with no urgency in the games and with no passion. This is largely due to there being no relegation system in the league. This is the direct opposite of what Di Maria aims to play for.
Furthermore, according to MLS rules, only three players can be marked as Designated Players. These are players who can earn above the base salary of $5.2 million. Already Messi will occupy one of them, with Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez thought to take up the other two spots soon.
It all comes down to Di Maria himself. If his priority is to continue performing at a competitive level, he can play one or two more seasons in Europe. Or he could join the bandwagon and join Messi at Miami where he will earn a lot of money.
Whatever the case, David Beckham has big plans with Inter Miami and we could see a lot of big players in the MLS soon.
