Former New York City FC striker Alexandru Mitrita has said he rejected an offer to join Inter Miami to return to boyhood club Craiova.
The Romanian international spent four years in the Big Apple with the MLS franchise before making the decision to return home last year, with Mitrita going out on loan three times during his NYCFC spell.
Yet in an interview with Fanatik, the 28-year-old attacker revealed that there was an offer on the table to join Inter Miami, though Mitrita had little interest in making the move, even with Lionel Messi on their books.
Indeed, to pass up the opportunity to play with Messi is one few players in world football would turn down, yet Mitrita falls into this unusual catergory.
Mitrita said: “My dream with this team was to win a trophy and it will continue to be. That’s why I returned to Craiova. I took it as a challenge, I really wanted to go back home and achieve this.
“There were offers from Inter Miami, but I said that I came home with my soul. I chose to come to Craiova, which is my heart, than to play a year with Messi.”
Alexandru Mitrita might regret Inter Miami snub
Returning to your boyhood club is as good an excuse as they come when it comes to the question ‘why did you reject the chance to become Messi’s new attacking teammate?’
Yet whilst Mitrita’s reasoning is perfectly justified, the former New York City star could soon regret his decision to swap the United States with his native Romania.
After all, Inter Miami are about to embark on what could be the best season an MLS franchise has ever experienced, and Mitrita might feel like he is missing out on history having opted to return home instead.