Lionel Messi tipped to represent second team after joining Inter Miami in MLS

Lionel Messi set for Inter Miami switch

Lionel Messi might be on his way to the USA for a new adventure in Major League Soccer but there is still a chance that he could return to kicking a ball around Barcelona in the near future. That’s because former teammate Sergio Aguero is trying to convince the Argentina captain to play for his seven-a-side Kings League team.

The ex-Manchester City legend is the chairman of Kunisports, who compete alongside 11 other teams in the bizarre Barcelona-based football league that was founded by former Nou Camp defender Gerard Pique and Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos last December.

If one of football’s all-time greatest players fancies trying his hand at something a bit unusual, he won’t go too far wrong with the Kings League.

Quirks of the fun tournament include ‘golden cards’ which give teams advantages before kick-off, such as taking an opposition player out of the game for two minutes. And if Messi thinks it’s for him, he’ll bump into plenty of familiar faces, including the likes of Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo and Iker Casillas.

Any goals scored in the first two minutes of the second half count for double and if that wasn’t weird enough, a huge dice is rolled just before half-time to decide how many players each team can play with until the interval.

It’s not just former professionals who are getting involved either. Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has played when his schedule permits, raising hopes that Inter Miami’s new star player could get in some Kings League minutes at the end of the MLS season.

On the prospect of Barcelona’s all-time record goalscorer signing up for the action, Aguero told ESPN: “We haven’t spoken about it. I think it’s a little complicated at the moment with the schedule, but I hope one day he can play for us.

“Many stars have played and more want to come. We’ve seen Chicharito, Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Shevchenko, and Casillas play for some of the other teams. There are a lot of players keen [to play for Kunisports], but obviously, with the timing and the distances involved, it’s not been possible for a lot of them, but there are many ex-players interested in playing. It’s just a case of finding the dates.”

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For now, Messi will be solely focused on his arrival in Miami and getting started on turning the club’s fortunes around. But once the season is done and dusted the possibility remains that he could follow the lead of Mexican forward Hernandez.

Far from just a gimmick, the Kings League has a huge following, with over five million viewers racked up on matchday seven across YouTube and Twitch. Games are played weekly in the regular season before eight of the 12 team advance to the playoffs.

The Final Four stage was held for the first time in March in a practically full Nou Camp stadium, further demonstrating its huge appeal.

Aguero added: “It’s different to how I experienced the game as a professional. It’s more about having fun and entertaining people. There are the novelty cards and we put on a bit of a show to entertain. It’s very different to traditional football.”

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