Messi signs new deal with Inter Miami to keep Argentina star in MLS to 2028

Argentinean superstar Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami successful 2023 from Paris Saint-Germain.

Lionel Messi has agreed to a declaration hold with Inter Miami that volition spot the Argentine superstar stay successful Major League Soccer (MLS) until the extremity of the 2028 season, the nine has confirmed.

Inter Miami’s X provender posted a video of Messi signing a declaration sitting astatine a array successful the mediate of the club’s caller Freedom Park stadium, which is nether operation successful Miami, Florida successful the US, with the elemental caption: “He’s Home”.

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“It makes maine truly blessed to enactment present and to proceed with this task that, too being a dream, has go a beauteous world – playing successful this stadium, astatine Miami Freedom Park,” Messi, 38, said successful a nine statement.

“Since I arrived successful Miami, I’ve been precise happy, truthful I’m genuinely gladsome to support going here,” Messi added.

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said Messi’s determination to widen reflected his “commitment to the city, to the club, to the game”.

“He’s inactive arsenic committed arsenic he’s ever been and helium inactive wants to win,” Beckham said. “As owners to person a subordinate that loves the crippled arsenic overmuch arsenic helium does, and who has done arsenic overmuch for the crippled successful this state and to animate the adjacent procreation of young endowment arsenic helium has, we consciousness precise lucky.”

The World Cup-winner’s existent declaration expires astatine the extremity of the 2025 MLS season.

A caller woody had been viewed arsenic a formality aft nine sources told AFP past period that the franchise had reached an statement connected an extension.

Messi’s declaration ensures helium volition stay successful competitory enactment until and agelong aft the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Messi moved to Inter Miami successful 2023 aft an unhappy spell astatine Paris Saint-Germain and has since had a transformative effect connected the league, driving grounds attendances and ticketing revenues.

“When Lionel Messi made MLS his league of choice, it marked a turning constituent – not conscionable for Inter Miami, but for our full athletics successful North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Thursday arsenic helium welcomed quality of Messi’s declaration extension.

Messi spent the bulk of his stellar vocation astatine Barcelona, wherever helium played from 2004 to 2021 aft coming done the Spanish giants’ younker system.

At Barcelona, helium won the La Liga rubric 10 times and lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy connected 4 occasions.

In 2022, helium led Argentina to World Cup glory successful Qatar and has expressed a tendency to effort to clasp the trophy adjacent year.

He has scored 114 planetary goals and besides won the Copa America doubly with Argentina, successful 2021 and 2024.

Messi could play astatine a sixth World Cup adjacent year, which would acceptable a caller all-time record, though helium could beryllium matched by longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or victor is besides conscionable 3 goals abbreviated of Miroslav Klose’s grounds of 16 vocation World Cup goals.

Argentina comfortably booked a spot astatine adjacent year’s finals, finishing 9 points wide astatine the apical of the South American qualifying table.

Messi finished arsenic the apical scorer with 8 goals, including a brace successful what whitethorn person been his past competitory lucifer connected location ungraded against Venezuela 2 weeks ago.

He was named the MLS’s astir invaluable subordinate successful the 2024 play adjacent though Inter Miami were eliminated successful the playoffs.

In 2025, helium became the fastest subordinate to scope 40 goals successful MLS history.

This season, Messi has led Miami backmost into the playoffs aft finishing successful 3rd spot successful the Eastern Conference.

He wrapped up Inter Miami’s regular play run with a superb hat-trick past Saturday successful a 5-2 demolition of Nashville SC, leaving him with 29 goals from 28 matches to triumph MLS’s Golden Boot award.