Argentine forward, Lionel Messi has announced he will be joining the MLS side to play for a club outside Europe for the first time in more than 20 years, though he told Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspapers the deal was not 100% done.
The Ballon d’Or winner has the potential to lift soccer in the U.S. where it trails the other four major North American men’s professional leagues in popularity.
Messi had wanted to go to a club where he could eventually have an ownership stake, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters this week.
That would see him follow a similar path to that of his new team’s co-owner David Beckham, who joined LA Galaxy in 2007 after exiting Real Madrid, in a deal that gave him the right to a discounted franchise.
