There are very few names in football that can steal the limelight entirely just a few days before the Champions League final. One of those names is Lionel Messi, and he has done just that.
He announced via the press on Wednesday evening that he will be signing for Inter Miami in MLS following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain. The news cannot be described as a surprise given Inter Miami have been rumoured as a possible end destination for Messi for quite some time.
The surprising element is the fact that Barcelona appeared to be making some progress towards bringing their Messiah back to the club for a second spell, after the first ended in such poor circumstances.
That did not prove to be the case, and the Argentine will be playing football in a third different domestic league of his career. What many people want to know, though, is when they can expect to see him playing for the side that up until painfully recently was coached by Phil Neville.
READ MORE ON LIONEL MESSI'S MOVE TO INTER MIAMI
When will Messi play for Inter Miami?
MLS runs on a different calendar to European football which means that while Lionel Messi is leaving PSG at the end of the season, he is joining Inter Miami halfway through another one. He is going to be joining a situation that he is really not used to.
Inter Miami are sitting at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference after 16 matches and that is why David Beckham had to take the decision of sacking Phil Neville. Messi is not just turning up in America to increase the wider interest in MLS, he has got a serious job to do for a club that wants to be competing for titles.
As for when he can start helping the team, he will be able to officially register as a player for Inter Miami on July 5, as that is when the next transfer window officially opens in MLS. After that date, Inter Miami's first game is against Wayne Rooney's D.C. United on July 9. Rooney will be keen to beat the man who helped Barcelona win two Champions League finals at Manchester United's expense.
That means Messi has got almost exactly a month to get his affairs in order and maintain his fitness so that he can hit the ground running in America. There is little reason to suggest that he won't be able to feature in that game, unless a fitness or citizenship issue were to crop up which derails it.
How much will Messi earn at Inter Miami?
There is clearly a sporting focus behind Messi's decision to sign for Inter Miami as he had the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia and receive a wage of £344m per year at Al Hilal. That sort of money is simply mind-boggling but it is not as if Messi is a man in dire financial straits.
Instead, he is going to be getting a reported salary of £43m at Inter Miami. As far as many moves of this type are concerned, that is not a ridiculously high figure. That being said, it is thought that a number of key sponsorship deals are going to come Messi's way as a part of the move to Inter Miami as arranged by the club.
This means that while his salary will be £43m, he will have guaranteed a much higher figure for making the move. He will still be getting Saudi Arabian money anyway given he is an ambassador for the country.
This article was originally published on 90min as When Lionel Messi can make his Inter Miami debut.
