Lionel Messi has shared his final vacation pictures before he heads to Miami to complete his blockbuster move to Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
Captioned ‘always like this #family’, the Argentina World Cup winner posted a picture with his wife Antonela and their three sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
He shared a separate picture just with Antonela, his childhood sweetheart who he first met in their Argentina hometown of Rosario. While Messi’s post didn’t say where they were, it is believed they are in the Caribbean.
Widespread reports over the weekend suggested Messi is going to land in Miami on Tuesday to put the finishing touches to his move to Inter Miami. And it has been claimed by World Soccer that the official announcement will be on Thursday.
The 36-year-old is set to sign a two-and-a-half year contract with David Beckham’s MLS team, with the option for a third season in the United States.
Lionel Messi and his family are expected to land in Miami today as he completes his MLS move
Messi and childhood sweetheart Antonela shared the final snaps of their vacation on Tuesday
Pictured last week, the Messi family have been in the Caribbean before they move to Miami
Beckham’s Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has said Messi will earn in the region of $50m-$60m a year. That money will in part be paid by adidas and Apple.
Adidas will pay Messi a share of the Miami shirts they sell with his name on the back, while Apple will pay him for the subscriptions to MLS it gets upon his arrival.
Messi will be unveiled on Sunday night at Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium alongside Sergio Busquets, the iconic Spain midfielder who was teammate of Messi’s during their Barcelona glory years.
His first first game is set to be next Thursday in the newly formed Leagues Cup, against Mexican team Cruz Azul.
Miami urgently need an injection of star quality. The team is last in the MLS Eastern Conference, hasn’t won in 10 games and is eight points away from the playoffs.
And it might get worse before it gets better with a game against the Western Conference’s top team St Louis on Saturday night.
The new Miami coach Tata Martino – who once coached Messi at Barcelona – will take charge of the team for the first time in that game.
Another of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates is set to also join Miami in defender Jordi Alba – another eye-catching move by the team.
Messi’s Miami team are part-owned by David Beckham, who is thrilled by his arrival
The 36-year-old Messi arrives at Miami as a World Cup winner last year with Argentina
Speaking of Messi’s arrival last week, a proud Beckham said: ‘A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to about a million messages on my phone.
‘I was thinking, “What’s gone off? I don’t usually get this many messages”. All of a sudden, I hear Leo has come out and announced he’s coming to Miami.
‘Obviously, it wasn’t a surprise to me. I have always said, from the word go, that if I had the opportunity to bring the best players in the game to Miami, at whatever time of their careers, I would do that. I have always made that commitment to our fans.
‘So when I hear that one of the best players — if not the best player — who has won everything in the game, who is still a great player, still young and still doing what he’s doing, wants to play for my team, it’s a massive moment for us.’
