Lionel Messi has confirmed that going back to FC Barcelona was his first choice, but he ultimately decided it was not possible to go back home.
He signed with Inter Miami CF instead, and the rest is history. Today, he was announced as the winner of TIME Magazine’s Athlete of the Year, the first football (soccer) player to be given the honor.
“The truth is that fortunately, I had several options on the table that were interesting, and I had to analyze them and think, even weigh them up with my family, before making the final decision to come to Miami,” he told TIME.