Lionel Messi has revealed that he has “made the decision” to join MLS side Inter Miami.
The club, which is co-owned by David Beckham, are bottom of the Eastern Conference with 15 points from 16 matches.
Messi was a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and reportedly wanted to stay in Europe for another season.
“Now I will close my career in this country and experiencing the MLS in a different way, enjoying the day-to-day much more – but with the same responsibility of wanting to win and always doing things well but with more peace of mind.”
Messi could soon be joined by former Barcelona team-mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba at Miami, both of whom have recently left the Catalan giants and are reported targets for the MLS side, while Luis Suarez could also be in line for a move.
However, Messi refuted the suggestion that playing with close friends had anything to do with his own decision.
Inter Miami have recently sacked former Manchester United defender Phil Neville as manager with former Argentina boss Tata Martino strongly linked as his replacement.
Messi scored 32 goals in 75 games during his two seasons with PSG, finishing this campaign with 16 goals and 16 assists in Ligue 1. He is Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer with 672 goals.
It will be the first time Messi has played professionally for a club outside of Europe. Looking ahead to his debut, Messi could feature in the July 21 Leagues Cup game.