Lionel Messi could go to Manchester City then NYCFC, report says
In this file photo taken on August 4, 2019, Lionel Messi waves before a friendly match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. Credit: AFP via Getty Images/JOSEP LAGO
One of the world’s most recognizable athletes reportedly could be a few years away from bearing the crest of New York City FC.
According to a report by ESPN, a deal to bring Lionel Messi to Manchester City could include a clause allowing him to move to NYCFC after three years with the Premier League side.
NYCFC is majority owned by City Football Group, which also owns Manchester City and other clubs around the world. The report also says CFG could offer Messi, 33, a role as an ambassador for the group as part of a Man City deal, and that the club already was looking to see if the deal would be financially viable.
Messi has been one of the biggest stars in sports for nearly two decades with FC Barcelona, moving from Argentina to Spain to join the club’s academy at age 13. On Tuesday, the club confirmed the star’s desire to leave this summer.
With Barcelona, Messi captured 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, scoring 634 goals in 731 appearances across all competitions.
Messi would be the biggest star to venture to Major League Soccer since David Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007. Beckham’s deal necessitated the creation of the Designated Player rule in MLS, allowing three players on each team to be paid outside the league’s salary limits. Beckham’s Galaxy deal also included the option to establish his own MLS expansion club upon retirement, which came to fruition as Inter Miami CF earlier this year.
NYCFC dabbled in signing big-name European stars ahead of its first MLS season in 2015, adding UEFA Champions League winners David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo as its three DPs.
Villa’s tenure was largely successful as he captained the club for four seasons and won a league MVP award in 2016 before leaving in 2018 for a season in Japan. Pirlo made 60 appearances over three seasons for the club before ending his playing career, while Lampard made just 29 appearances over two seasons, scoring 15 goals before retiring.
NYCFC since has avoided the flashy signings and built its team largely through Central and South America, as well as the club’s academy. The club currently is using its DP slots on former Serie A and LigaMX player Maxi Moralez, Paraguayan prospect Jesús Medina and Romanian attacker Alexandru Mitrita.
