MIAMI: Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will remain with Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami long-term after signing a new contract lasting until 2028, the club confirmed on Thursday.
The Argentina star, who joined the club in 2023, said he is “very happy” to continue his journey in Miami, calling it a dream come true.
The new deal means fans will see Messi in charge of the team for several more seasons as he continues to make his mark on Major League Soccer.
Inter Miami’s
“It makes me very happy to stay here and continue with this project that, besides a dream, has become a wonderful reality: playing in this stadium, in Miami Freedom Park,” Messi, 38, said in a club statement.
“Since I arrived in Miami I have been very happy, so I am really happy to keep going here,” Messi added.
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said Messi’s decision to renew reflected his “commitment to the city, to the club, to the game.”
“He’s still as committed as he’s ever been and he still wants to win,” Beckham said. “As owners we feel very fortunate to have a player who loves the game as much as he does, and who has done as much for the game in this country and who can inspire the next generation of young talent.”
The World Cup winner’s current contract expires at the end of the 2025 MLS season.
A new deal was seen as a formality after club sources told AFP last month that the franchise had agreed an extension.
Messi’s contract ensures he will remain competitive until and long after the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023 after an unhappy spell at Paris Saint-Germain and has since had a transformative effect on the league, with record attendances and ticket revenues.
“When Lionel Messi made MLS his league of choice, it marked a turning point – not just for Inter Miami, but for our entire sport in North America,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said Thursday as he welcomed the news of Messi’s contract extension.
Messi spent most of his stellar career at Barcelona, where he played from 2004 to 2021 after coming through the youth system at the Spanish giants.
At Barcelona he won the La Liga title ten times and the UEFA Champions League trophy four times.
He led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022 and has expressed his desire to try to retain the trophy next year.
He scored 114 international goals and also won the Copa América twice with Argentina, in 2021 and 2024.
History of MLS Goals
Messi could play in a sixth World Cup next year, which would set a new all-time record, although he could be matched by old rival Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is also just three goals shy of Miroslav Klose’s career record of 16 World Cup goals.
Argentina comfortably booked a place in next year’s finals, finishing nine points clear at the top of the South American qualifying table.
Messi finished as top scorer with eight goals, including a brace in what may have been his last competitive game on home soil against Venezuela two weeks ago.
He was named MLS’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024 season, even though Inter Miami was eliminated from the playoffs.
In 2025, he became the fastest player to score 40 goals in MLS history.
This season, Messi led Miami back to the playoffs after finishing in third place in the Eastern Conference.
He ended Inter Miami’s regular season campaign last Saturday with an excellent hat-trick in a 5-2 loss to Nashville SC, leaving him with 29 goals from 28 games and winning the MLS Golden Boot.
