Lionel Messi, Soccer’s Most Coveted Free Agent, Picks Miami

Lionel Messi, who has captivated and to a large extent dominated global soccer for a generation, declared on Wednesday that the next stop in his glittering playing career would be the United States.

In an interview with two Spanish sports news outlets, Messi confirmed that he planned to sign a contract with Inter Miami, the M.L.S. team partially owned by David Beckham. He declined an offer to play in Saudi Arabia, which pays him to promote tourism in the kingdom and is seeking to build its national league by signing...