Apparently, the Argentine’s career will end somewhere else, and not in MLS
The signing of Lionel Messi with Inter Miami of MLS undoubtedly shook the soccer world, since not only did the Argentinean come from winning the World Cup in Qatar 2022, but he was also in good physical shape, which made one think that at 36 years of age, Messi could give several good seasons to U.S. soccer.
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However, according to a report from The Daily Mail, the Argentine does not plan to extend his MLS contract beyond his current one, and has every intention of retiring at his boyhood club: Newell’s Old Boys of Argentina, the team he is a fan of and played for in the youth ranks before moving to Barcelona.
Messi’s contract
Messi has an agreement until the end of the 2025 MLS season with Inter Miami, so he still has the rest of the current season, plus another two years in U.S. soccer, so he would arrive to his country’s soccer at 38 years of age, something that since his days in Barcelona, he did not hide that it was his intention to play for Newell’s.
According to various sources, Messi signed a two-and-a-half season deal with Inter Miami for a total of between $120 million and $150 million, averaging between $50 million and $60 million per season, making him the highest paid player in MLS.
In total with Inter Miami, Messi has played 12 games, scoring 11 goals. However, only four of those games have been in MLS and in domestic competition he has only scored one goal.