Inter Miami signs Riquelme Fillipi from Palmeiras through 2029-30 season

Inter Miami CF has added a 19-year-old Brazilian winger named after one of the greatest Argentine playmakers of all time. Riquelme Fillipi, a product of SE Palmeiras’ acclaimed youth academy, signed a contract through the 2029-30 MLS season with an option to extend through 2030-31.

The deal, announced on September 2, gives Inter Miami 60% of Fillipi’s economic rights at a reported transfer fee in the range of $4.2 million to $6 million.

Who is Riquelme Fillipi

Born on September 15, 2006, Fillipi is a right-footed attacker who spent his developmental years inside one of South American football’s most productive talent factories. Across 80 appearances at the U-20 level for Palmeiras, Fillipi racked up 30 goals and 4 assists. He also earned 11 first-team appearances for Palmeiras across Brazilian league play and continental tournaments.

Fillipi was part of the Brazil U-17 squad that won the 2023 South American Championship. Fillipi was named in homage to Juan Román Riquelme, the Argentine legend whose languid brilliance at Boca Juniors and for the national team made him one of the most aesthetically gifted footballers of his generation.

Strategic fit for Inter Miami

This signing is the first player acquisition since Cristian “Kily” González took over as Inter Miami’s head coach. Inter Miami acquired an international roster slot from the New England Revolution during the same transaction window, a necessary prerequisite for bringing in another foreign player under MLS roster rules.

Fillipi’s arrival is pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 visa.

What this means for MLS’s talent pipeline

The economic rights structure of the deal, with Miami acquiring 60% of Fillipi’s rights, is a distinctly South American mechanism that allows the selling club to retain a financial stake in any future transfer. If Fillipi develops well and moves to Europe, Palmeiras would receive a portion of the fee.

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