MLS
Jorge Más reveals how he convinced Messi to join Inter Miami
Más, one of the owners of Inter Miami, revealed a fundamental part of the conversations during the negotiation with the Argentine star, which could have tipped the balance.
The Messi-Inter Miami marriage is a dream come true - particularly for the fans of the Florida-based, who have been enjoying the Argentine star for the past few months. But the operation has been years in the making - a major objective for the southern franchise, which has had to compete in a fierce market to convince the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner to join them. Messi, with no shortage of offers, ended up opting for MLS.
The 36-year-old has been doing his job on the pitch since the day he arrived. His numbers are stratospheric, which will come as a relief to the owners. But their work is far from over - they are busy working day by day to reinforce a team in which Messi is the leader, with almost the same intensity as they did to close Leo’s arrival.
On Friday, the Más brothers and David Beckham, gave an interview to The Times, where they gave new insight into how Messi’s close circle were approached and negotiations started. It is publicly known that both Más and Beckham were essential pieces in the negotiations and as a result, they maintained a very good relationship with the Argentine star even before his arrival in June.
The ‘definitive’ question to Messi
In the interview, Beckham revealed that the only issue that really worried him was whether Messi might be coaxed into returning to Barça, who were showing a keen in interest in re-signing him. Jorge Más meanwhile was more concerned about the lucrative offers on the table from Saudi Arabia - enticing proposals designed to persuade the Argentine to make the leap to Asian football.
However, Más assures that during the conversations with Messi, he put a question to the player to convince him that MLS was the way forward: “I said, ‘How many elite athletes have had the opportunity to change a sport in a country?” Más revealed, who went on to add: “This is just the beginning. His presence, medium to long-term, will prove that this league belongs among the world’s best leagues over time.”