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Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Soccer star Lionel Messi, who never wanted to leave Barcelona for PSG in 2021, said his move from Paris to Inter Miami has been "totally different" and he "playing with joy" again in the United States. Messi made the comments during his first news conference with the MLS franchise Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, who did not speak English, announced his decision to join Inter Miami in June.
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"When I went to Paris, it wasn't something I wanted," Messi told reporters. "I didn't want to leave Barcelona. In some ways, it was one day to the next. I had to adapt to somewhere completely different from where I lived all my life.
"But that's totally different from my experience here."
Messi said he made the decision with his wife, Antonella, and three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro. The Argentine soccer icon spent the entirety of his professional career in Europe, starting his Barcelona senior team tenure in 2004. He then left the Spanish La Liga power after more than two decades, including his youth tenure, to join Paris Saint-Germain of France's Ligue 1.
Messi then turned down offers from other major clubs around the world to join MLS. That decision, he said, took time. Now his family is settling in to another setting, searching for a new house. He said his children also are getting ready to start going to school in the South Florida area.
"I chose to come here," Messi said. "I wanted to come here. And it's a decision we made with time. It wasn't something we decided one day to the next. We are where we want to be.
"It's a decision we made. That makes everything much easier and simpler."
Messi called his reception, at home and away games, "spectacular" and said he is "at peace and happy." That serenity continues to be reflected in his play -- rather, domination -- of MLS foes.
Inter Miami, the last-place club in MLS, is 6-0 in the Leagues Cup since Messi's arrival. He scored nine times in the competition, which does not count toward MLS standings, leading the Herons to the tournament finale.
"We knew, coming here, it was a chance to change things," Messi said of Inter Miami's previously lowly MLS status. "This was a nice opportunity to start to change that."
Messi said his 2021 move to PSG was neither "planned, nor desired," and that he he "always" wanted to play in the United States.
He said his move to the United States was more about "continuing to enjoy [soccer]" than it was about impacting MLS.
"The truth is that I don't think about all of that," Messi said, when asked about his impact on MLS. "I just came here to play and to continue enjoying futbol. It's what I liked all my life and I chose this place for that reason above all things. Today, I can tell you that I am very happy with the decision we made, not only for sports, but because of how it's going for my family and how we live day to day.
"The city, the new experience, the reception of the people has been extraordinary from the first day, not only in Miami, but in the United States in general."
On Thursday, Messi also was named a finalist for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, given annually to Europe's best soccer player. Messi, who led Argentina to a World Cup title in December, is expected to claim the honor for the eighth time. The winner will be announced Aug. 31 in Monaco.
Inter Miami will face Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final at 9 p.m. EDT Saturday in Nashville.
"I am very grateful and happy for the moment I am living, and above all, to continue enjoying what I have liked all my life, to play and to do it with joy," Messi said.
