Lionel Messi said Thursday he has refound happiness since joining Inter Miami, describing his move to Major League Soccer as the “opposite” of his transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. Messi, who has scored nine goals in six appearances since joining Miami, joined the MLS club after two seasons in France with PSG.

Speaking to local media for the first time since arriving in Miami, a relaxed Messi talked positively of his life in South Florida and contrasted it with his time in the French capital, which drew to a close earlier this year with sections of PSG’s fans booing him. “As I said at the time, my departure to Paris was not something I wanted, it was not something I wanted to leave Barcelona and, so to speak, it was from one day to the next,” he said.