Lionel Messi "stuns" Barca and the sheikhs, the "flea" surprises everyone with the unexpected action

Argentina legend Lionel Messi is set to join American side Inter Miami following his move from French champions Paris St-Germain.

The former Barcelona player will reject a more lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

The Miami deal includes collaboration from brands like Adidas and Apple.

Forward Messi, 35, has won the world's best player award seven times and is expected to win it later this year after his World Cup success.

This is the first time Barcelona icon Messi has played outside of Europe.

He wanted to stay in Europe for another season but, after no satisfactory offers were received, he had a direct choice between Inter Miami or Al-Hilal.

He was widely thought to favor a move to Saudi Arabia, where he would join Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the league in a deal that could not be matched financially.

But Messi was ultimately tempted to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami for a number of reasons, including lifestyle and a deal with big brands that extends beyond soccer.

He already has a house in Miami, which he currently rents out.

He was keen on a return to Barcelona this summer, but the Financial Fair Play restrictions that will be in place for next season in La Liga made any ambitious plans to bring him back an impossibility.

Paris St-Germain won Ligue 1 in both of his seasons at the club but went out in the last 16 of the Champions League, meaning his time in France was not seen as a huge success.

He scored 32 goals in 75 games for the club – and finished the season with 16 goals and 16 assists in Ligue 1.

Messi's two-year contract expires this summer and the two sides agreed to go their separate ways, with the forward suspended for two weeks in May for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.

His legacy stems from his time at Barcelona and winning the World Cup with Argentina in December. He left Barça in 2021, after 21 years with the club, due to the club's financial problems. Messi is Barcelona's record goalscorer with 672 goals and has won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and seven Spanish Cups.