Official news, 38-year-old Messi has completed a contract extension with Inter Miami, and the new contract will run until 2028.
[Official Announcement]
Inter Miami Football Club announced today that it has renewed its contract with team captain, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, and World Cup champion Lionel Messi until the 2028 Major League Soccer season.
Messi said at the construction site of the new stadium: "I am very happy to stay here and continue to be involved in this project. In addition to being a dream, it has become a wonderful reality - playing in this stadium in Miami Liberty Park. Since I came to Miami, I have been very happy, so I am really happy to continue here."
"We are all very excited about the moment when we can finally play in Miami Liberty Park. We can't wait. Hopefully it gets built - to experience it inside, in our new home and for the fans to enjoy it too. Playing a home game in such a spectacular stadium will be a very special experience. "
Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said: "We promised our fans that we would dare to dream to build an iconic club. A club that represents the passion, hard work and dedication of all those who came before us to build a Miami based on dreams. Messi signed to 2 028 is an ode to our wonderful city. We very much look forward to writing this next chapter at our stadium in Miami’s Liberty Park. Together we will continue to build and dream. "
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said: "Our vision is to bring the best players to Inter Miami, to this city, and that's exactly what we have done. We brought some of the best players the game has ever seen to our city. This shows that we are Miami's commitment also shows Messi's commitment to the city, the club, and the sport. He is still as committed as ever and he still wants to win. As owners, we feel extremely lucky to have a player who loves the game as much as he does and has done as much for the game as he has in this country and who inspires the next generation of young talent like he does. "
Messi initially arrived in South Florida in the summer of 2023, ushering in an era of success for the club. Since then, he has led Inter Miami to a historic run of winning the first two trophies, the 2023 League Cup and the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield, and in the process won the 2023 League Cup Player of the Year and Top Scorer awards (10 goals in 7 appearances), as well as the 2024 MLS Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player Award honors (36 goals in 20 regular season games - 20 goals, 16 assists). Our team captain then had another outstanding performance in the 2025 MLS regular season, scoring 29 goals and winning the 2025 MLS Golden Boot Award presented by Audi, becoming the first Inter Miami player to win this honor.
In the international arena, Messi led Inter Miami to a historic advancement to the top 16 of the reformed 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and reached the semi-finals of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions League. In total, the Argentine legend has scored 71 goals and provided 44 assists in 82 games for Inter Miami in all competitions, both of which are the most in the club's history.
In addition, according to the contract extension, Messi and Inter Miami will open a historic new chapter in 2026, and the club will move into its new home stadium in downtown Miami, namely Miami Liberty Park. The world-class stadium is located within a 131-acre entertainment, retail, hotel and commercial precinct that will open in phases from 2026.
The 38-year-old Rosario, Argentina native is the most decorated player in football history, having won a total of 46 team championship trophies in his career. In addition to his historic titles with Inter Miami, Messi has won four UEFA Champions League titles, an Olympic gold medal, three FIFA Club World Cups, ten La Liga titles, two Ligue 1 titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and a French Super Cup. On the international stage, Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America titles, as well as the 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Champions League title, and further cemented his legendary status by leading his country to a historic win at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, Messi's list of personal honors includes a record eight Ballon d'Or awards, three FIFA Men's Player of the Year awards and two World Cup Ballon d'Or awards - making him the only player to win the award twice. He also won three UEFA Men's Player of the Year awards, six European Golden Boot awards, six La Liga Player of the Year awards, eight La Liga Golden Boot awards and 16 Argentine Footballer of the Year awards.
In addition to championship titles and personal honors, Messi also maintains many records in many different events. Famously, he holds the record for most goals in a natural year, scoring an astonishing 91 goals in 2012. He also holds the record for most goals in the history of the five major European leagues (496 goals), most goals in La Liga history (474 goals), most goals in a single season in La Liga (50 goals), most goals in the UEFA Champions League group stage (80 goals), most goals in the UEFA Champions League top 16 stage (29 goals), and scoring in consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League (18 seasons). For the Argentina national team, Messi holds the record for the most appearances (195 games), the most goals (114 goals) and the most World Cup goals (13 goals). He also holds the international record for the most World Cup appearances (26 games) and is the only player to score in the World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals..
Messi joined Inter Miami as a free agent in the summer window of 2023. So far, he has played 82 games for the team, scoring 71 goals and providing 37 assists, helping the team win the UEFA Cup and Supporters' Shield championships. In addition, Messi was named the MLS Player of the Season in the 2023/24 season.
This season, the 38-year-old Messi is in hot form, with 29 goals and 19 assists in 28 regular season games, dominating both the scorer and assist charts.
