Inter Miami will be Lionel Messi’s final team.
Global superstar and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi revealed in an interview with ESPN Argentina that the MLS club would be his “last club”, acknowledging that there is “not much time left” in his career.
Messi moved to the United States last summer from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami, marking the 36-year-old soccer star’s first time playing outside Europe in 20 years.
“I’ve been doing this my whole life. I love playing ball. I enjoy the training, the daily activities and the games. Yes, there is the fear that it will all end. There always is. It was a difficult step to leave Europe and come here. [Miami]”, Messi told ESPN:.
The Inter Miami superstar, who turns 37 later this month, told the outlet that helping his native Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 had put a new perspective on his career.
“Winning the World Cup has really helped me to see things from a different angle,” Messi continued, “but I try not to think about it. I try to enjoy myself, even more so now because I know I don’t have much time left. So I’m enjoying my time at the club, with my teammates and friends.”
“I’m really enjoying my time with the national team, I’ve got a lot of good friends and I’m enjoying the little things that I know I’ll miss when I retire.”
Messi is contracted with Inter Miami through the 2025 MLS season and is averaging a goal per game this year.
He has 12 goals and 13 assists in 12 games for Miami in 2024 and is currently leading the charge for the Supporters’ Shield.
Inter Miami won the League Cup in 2023 and seems destined to win the MLS title this season.
However, the Inter Miami uniform may be the last club uniform Messi wears.
“Yes, I think so. I think for now this will be my last club,” he said in an interview. According to The Athletic.
The Argentine will represent his country in this summer’s Copa America in the United States.
He played limited time in Argentina’s match against Ecuador in Chicago on Sunday.
Messi and Argentina will play in the Copa America against Canada on June 20.
He is scheduled to play in Friday’s friendly against Guatemala at Commander’s Field.
While this year will likely be Messi’s last time playing in the Copa America (the next one won’t be until 2028), he remains open to playing at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada or Mexico.
He has yet to decide whether he will play in the match, telling InfoBae in a recent interview that it all depends on how he feels.
“It’s about knowing my physical condition and whether I’m at a level where I can compete and help my teammates,” Messi told InfoBae. According to The Athletic“There’s still a long way to go until the tournament, but time flies.
“You never know how you’re going to feel in that moment, or if you’re going to feel like you’re at a level where you can help your teammates.”
