Lionel Messi is TIME Magazine’s Athlete of the Year.

Announced on December 5th, the Argentine won the award for his achievements with the Argentina National Team last December at the FIFA World Cup.

In the cover story, Messi spoke on a variety of topics including life in Miami, his decision to play in Major League Soccer, and more.

“My first option was to return to Barcelona, but it was not possible,” Messi said.

“It is also true that later I was thinking a lot about going to the Saudi league, where I know the country and they have created a very powerful competition that can become an important league in the near future,” he continued.

“The truth is that fortunately, I had several options on the table that were interesting, and I had to analyse them and think, even weigh them up with my family, before making the final decision to come to Miami.”

Messi signed with Inter Miami on July 15th, where he subsequently led the team to a Leagues Cup title in August. Unfortunately, the Herons couldn’t keep up that momentum and failed to make the playoffs.

Despite the sour end to the year, next season is highly anticipated.

Inter Miami and Messi set to ride high in 2024

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
2024 is set to be a big year for the South Florida club.

With striker Luis Suárez joining the team and a full offseason of rest for Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, the sky is the limit for the men in pink.

The organization wants to win more trophies, and to do that, a roster revamp is a must.

Sporting Director Chris Henderson spoke to the media during his end-of-year conference and touched on the team’s plans: “We’re evaluating every department in our front office and performance staff, to support [Tata Martino] and his staff and all the players to make sure we’re performing everywhere in the club.”

Miami is looking to challenge for MLS Cup. If the team can refresh its roster, then more silverware is possible.