Could Messi go to Saudi Arabia after Inter Miami missed out on MLS playoffs?

The Argentine has been linked with a move away from Inter Miami after they failed to make the MLS playoffs; Saudi are now said to be interested.

Joe Brennanj4brennanUpdate: Oct 9th, 2023 07:21 EDT

Sam NavarroUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Álvaro Barreal was the quickest to move, and his tap-in after Callender’s save sent the match in the direction where, if we’re honest, it deserved to go. FC Cincinnati beat Inter Miami 0-1 at DRV PNK Stadium, mathematically ending their hopes of making the MLS 2023 playoffs. In the instant the calendar came to an end for The Herons, the clock began ticking on Lionel Messi’s future. It took just days for the Argentine’s career in the US to be questioned, and he was linked with a sensational move back to Barcelona in the winter window. Now, however, another beast has entered the game, and it’s one that felt entirely inevitable: Saudi Arabia.

Dr Ian Malcom was a Chaos Theory expert, and he never liked the idea of John Hammond’s Jurassic Park, calling it “an accident waiting to happen”. Now, Isla Nublar is not Saudi Arabia – the talent that the Middle-Eastern country are picking up for extraordinary fees are not quite old enough to be called dinosaurs – but the gut-wrenching feeling of inevitability surrounding the links to Messi pitching up there is certainly akin to one screaming this was always going to happen! as the Velociraptors tiptoe behind Lex and Tim in the hotel kitchen.

👋 capitán pic.twitter.com/1letqi0e4T

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 8, 2023

Saudi ‘exploring opportunity to bring Messi in’

It was a matter of time before the Saudi cash became too much to turn down for football’s elite. But what’s sad is that Messi’s move to MLS felt like a project, a rebirth of a league that wanted to propel itself so badly into the mainstream of TV viewers the world over and, for a short time, it did. Messi is the man everyone follows and wherever he goes, so do millions and millions of eyes and dollars. It’s just a shame that we could all see the next step from so far away.

The rumour itself comes from Rudy Galetti, who says that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and PIF – the sovereign wealth fund of the country – are “exploring the opportunity to bring Messi in – on loan – between the end of MLS 2023 and the start of next season (winter period). Internal evaluations still ongoing: developments are expected soon.”

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Ronaldo vs Messi in Saudi Arabia – could it happen?FAYEZ NURELDINEAFP

Agüero explained Messi’s MLS motive

Sergio Agüero, a good friend of Lionel Messi, explained back in August just why Messi moved to MLS, saying “I think Messi [went to MLS] for his family and himself, so they were OK, so he could play in as relaxed as possible. If he had been playing in Europe, obviously it’s another sense of demand, and that’s why he couldn’t play in Europe the way he wanted, which is to enjoy himself.”

But by the looks of things, a life in Saudi is no quieter than in Europe, with players popping up constantly as part of promotional material for the league and even the country itself (see Benzema’s Tweet about his Saudi friends); mind you, Neymar certainly won’t mind being paid what is being reported for a couple of Chat GPT-generated social media posts about the country. And Jordan Henderson just being there is apparently all he needs to do to carry on promoting LGBTQ+ rights.

🚨💥 EXCL | #SAFF and the PIF are exploring the opportunity to bring #Messi in 🇸🇦 – on loan – between the end of #MLS 2023 and the start of next season (winter period).📌 Internal evaluations still ongoing: developments are expected soon. 🐓⚽️ #Transfers #InterMiami pic.twitter.com/IK9nF0nPi0

— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) September 8, 2023

Messi would leave MLS with project half-finished