Lionel Messi can add a new line to his (very) long list of awards. The football champion was named sportsman of the year by the magazine Time Tuesday, for his impact on soccer in the United States since joining Inter Miami this summer.
Aged 36, the Argentinian “Messi has achieved what seemed impossible: making the United States a football country,” writes the magazine.
Hesitations about the end of his career
Awarded an eighth Ballon d’Or at the end of October, Messi left Paris Saint-Germain in July to join Inter Miami, a club co-managed by David Beckham, seven months after his world champion title won at the end of 2022 with Argentina.
“My first option was to return to Barcelona, but that was not possible. It is also true that I then considered the Saudi championship, a powerful competition which could become important in the future in a country that I know,” Messi explains to Time. “It was ultimately Saudi Arabia or MLS, and both options interested me,” continues “La Pulga”.
Towards a 6th World Cup?
Winner of the Leagues Cup in August after his arrival, the club’s first trophy, Messi then had a series of absences while Inter Miami failed to qualify for the championship play-offs.
In 2024, in addition to the MLS, the Argentinian will be expected at the Copa America in June and July in the United States. The draw is scheduled for Thursday. Messi has also not closed the door to possible participation in a 6th World Cup in 2026, contested in the United States, Mexico and Canada.