Inter Miami will likely be Lionel Messi’s last stop.
The Argentine star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who made the jump to Major League Soccer for the first time in his career last year, told ESPN this week that he thinks Inter Miami will be the last organization he plays for before He is going to retire.
“I think so. At the moment I think it will be my last club, yes,” Messi said via ESPN.
While there were rumors or hopes that Messi would return to Europe or Argentina to end his career, his comments this week are not that surprising. Messi signed a recording contract for Major League Soccer that runs through the 2025 season, by which time he will be 38 years old. Given that he has already achieved just about everything possible in the sport, and has repeatedly struggled with injuries, he is well aware that he is nearing the end of his playing career.
It is still unclear whether Messi will play at the 2026 World Cup in North America. Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022, will play with Argentina in the Copa America this summer. Argentina opens the group match against Canada on June 20. Whether he plays in 2026 will largely depend on his health, according to Messi.
“I’ve done this all my life,” Messi said, via ESPN. “I love playing football. I enjoy the training and the daily matches. Yes, there is a little fear that it will all end.” It’s always there. It was a difficult step to leave Europe to come here [Miami].
“The fact that we won the World Cup helped, it helped a lot, to see things in a different way. But I try not to think about it. I try to enjoy it. I do that more now because I I am aware that there is still a lot of time left. So I am enjoying my time at the club and am fortunate to have good teammates and friends by my side.
“I enjoy my time with the national team, where I also have good friends, and a lot of them. I enjoy the little details that I know I will miss when I stop playing.”
Messi, who spent two decades in Europe with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, scored 12 goals for Inter Miami this season to lead them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. He also engineered an almost immediate turnaround for the franchise last season, leading them to a Leagues Cup win in what was the club’s first major trophy.
Miami will take on the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. The club opens the Leagues Cup on July 27 against Puebla.
