Lionel Messi’s future appears to be with Inter Miami. The Argentina superstar is in talks with the club over his future, co-owner Jorge Mas said on Wednesday in an interview with Futbol de Primera.
Among the greatest to ever play, Messi joined the MLS side in 2023 after his spell with PSG and a historic run with FC Barcelona, winning everything imaginable with the latter. The legendary Argentine superstar, who won the World Cup in 2022, has taken MLS by storm, scoring 40 goals in 47 games, leading the team to the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the MLS Supporters’ Shield in 2024.
His current contract expires after this season, but as Inter Miami look to open a new stadium in 2026, they expect the icon to be there.
“My expectation is that we will see the team’s captain and number 10, Lionel Messi, in the new stadium. It’s a decision. We are talking with him about his future at the club,” Mas told legendary play-by-play broadcaster Andres Cantor on Tuesday ahead of the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals against Los Angeles FC.
“All the stars are aligning for really great things, a beautiful future for the club and for Lionel. It’s up to him, but I anticipate we will determine this in the next 60 or 90 days because it’s important to start planning ahead.
“He will be another member of the club [when he’s done playing], an acting shareholder, and he wants to leave that as a legacy to his children. We have a very nice, respectful relationship with him, and I let him live his things peacefully.”
While Messi’s future never really seemed in doubt, there’s always been this belief that maybe one day he would return to boyhood club Newell’s in Argentina, where he has not appeared in a professional game. Nobody knows what will happen down the road, but an extension with Miami would seem to decrease the likelihood of that happening. He will turn 38 this June, and staying in the United States for 2026 makes all sense in the world as the country will host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada.
With a chance to defend Argentina’s title, staying in the United States makes life easier in a lot of ways for the Rosario native. The Argentina national team uses Miami as its base during competitions in the country, and the Argentina Football Association opened up an office in the Wynwood area of Miami in 2023.
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