July 30 (Reuters) – Inter Miami’s new Brazilian midfielder Casemiro said at his unveiling on Thursday that he still had the drive to be a winner after his move to the Major League Soccer club as a free agent.
The 34-year-old, who won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and later helped Manchester United win the League Cup and FA Cup, has joined on a deal through the 2027 MLS Sprint campaign, with an option to extend to June 2029.
Casemiro, who featured for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, thanked Inter Miami’s ownership and said it was an honour to be able to play alongside Lionel Messi.
“I want to thank the entire Mas family, David Beckham and everyone who made the effort to bring me here,” Casemiro said, referring to the club’s managing owner Jorge Mas and co-owner Beckham. “And, of course, Leo Messi — the best in history.
“It is an honour for me to be here.”
Casemiro said he remained motivated by the pursuit of trophies despite leaving European football.
“My intention to be the best and to win has not gone away,” he said. “In football, we do not know if we will win or lose, but my dedication and work will remain the same.”
He said Miami had been his preferred destination.
“My family and I knew that I wanted to play for Inter Miami,” Casemiro told reporters. “We knew the city and the country — we love this place.”
The Brazilian added that he had settled in well after his debut in the club’s 1-0 victory against Montreal on Saturday and thanked supporters for their welcome.
Mas said the club followed MLS discovery rules in signing Casemiro, as the league investigates a tampering allegation related to the transfer.
Under MLS rules, clubs must negotiate discovery rights with any team that previously listed a player before signing him outside the draft or free agency. The Galaxy had held rights to Casemiro before he opted to join Miami instead.
MLS said Inter Miami and the Galaxy had reached a settlement over Casemiro’s discovery priority rights but the terms “will be released upon conclusion of the tampering investigation”.
The league did not specify potential penalties or a timeline for when the investigation might conclude.
Mas said that the media had not accurately explained the implications of MLS’s confidential Discovery List. He said clubs and players do not know who appears on other teams’ lists.
“Our sporting department has no idea what players are on other clubs’ lists,” Mas said. “We don’t know if the player is on the list, and they (players) don’t know either.”
Mas said Inter Miami contacted MLS once it developed interest in Casemiro and only then learned that Galaxy held his discovery priority.
“We did not have any negotiation or any conversation with his representatives until we were given the green light.”
Mas said that if a club holding a discovery priority steps aside, MLS has a $50,000 mechanism that permits another club to talk to the player. If the original club makes a legitimate offer, however, it may retain the player’s rights.
“We did not talk to him (Casemiro) beforehand,” Mas said. “We negotiated with LA Galaxy and reached an agreement.”
Mas added that he had sought to change the discovery rule for two years, saying it did not benefit clubs or players.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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