AFCON 2025
Lionel Messi has extended his stay at Major League Soccer side Inter Miami by three years, according to a club statement published on its website.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner put pen to paper today, Thursday, 23rd October, following the end of the regular season, where Inter Miami qualified for the playoffs after placing third in the Eastern Conference.
Lionel Messi expressed his excitement about continuing with the club for the next three years during his contract signing ceremony today.
Messi finished as the top scorer of the regular season and top assister with 29 goals and 19 assists, respectively.
The former Barcelona captain will remain at Inter Miami for the next three years after putting pen to paper.
Press Release
Club captain signs contract extension through the end of the 2028 MLS season
Inter Miami CF announced today it has signed Club captain, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup Champion, Leo Messi, to a contract extension running through the 2028 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.
“It makes me really happy to stay here and to continue with this project that, besides being a dream, has become a beautiful reality — playing in this stadium, at Miami Freedom Park. Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve been very happy, so I’m truly glad to keep going here.
We’re all really excited about the moment when we can finally play at Miami Freedom Park. We can’t wait for it to be finished — to experience it from the inside, in our new home, and for the fans to enjoy it as well. It’s going to be something very special to play at home in such a spectacular stadium.” said Messi from the new stadium site.
“We promised our fans that we would dream big to build an iconic club. A club that represents the passion, hard work and dedication of all those that came before us to create a Miami built on dreams, said Inter Miami CF Managing Owner, Jorge Mas. “Leo signing through 2028 is an ode to our amazing city. We very much look forward to writing new chapters at our stadium at Miami Freedom Park. Together we will continue building and dreaming.”
“Our vision was to bring the best players to Inter Miami and to this city, and that’s exactly what we have done,” said Inter Miami CF Co-Owner, David Beckham. “We brought the best player to have ever played the game to our city. That shows our commitment to Miami, but it also shows Leo’s commitment to the city, to the Club, and to the game. He’s still as committed as he’s ever been and he still wants to win. As owners, to have a player that loves the game as much as he does, and who has done as much for the game in this country and to inspire the next generation of young talent as he has, we feel very lucky.”
Messi initially arrived in South Florida in the summer of 2023, kickstarting an era of success for the Club. Since then, he was key in guiding Inter Miami to its historic first two trophies by winning the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield titles, collecting 2023 Leagues Cup Best Player and Top Scorer awards (10 goals in seven appearances) and earning 2024 MLS Landon Donovan MVP Award honors (36 goal contributions – 20 goals, 16 assists – in 20 regular season appearances) in the process. Our Club captain followed up with a stellar 2025 MLS regular season, winning the 2025 MLS Golden Boot Award presented by Audi with 29 goals to become the first Inter Miami player to win the prestigious award.
On the international stage, Messi guided Inter Miami to a historic round of 16 berth in the revamped 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and to the semifinals of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. In all, the Argentine legend has racked up 71 goals and 44 assists, both the most in Club history, in 82 appearances across all competitions for Inter Miami.
Additionally, the renewed contract will see Messi and Inter Miami embark on a historic new chapter in 2026, as the Club makes its move to its new home in the heart of Miami, located at Miami Freedom Park. The world class stadium is situated within a 131-acre entertainment, retail, hospitality, commercial district that also opens in phases beginning 2026. Secure your seats to see the greatest player of all time today.
The 38-year-old Rosario, Argentina, native is the most decorated player of all time, having won a total 46 team trophies to this point in his career. In addition to the historic titles won at Inter Miami, Messi has won the UEFA Champions League four times, an Olympic gold medal, three FIFA Club World Cups, 10 La Liga titles, two Ligue 1 titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and one Trophée des Champions. On the international stage, Messi guided Argentina to the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América titles and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions crown, and further cemented his legacy by leading his country to a historic 2022 FIFA World Cup title.
Messi’s list of personal accolades, meanwhile, includes a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, three The Best FIFA Men’s Player awards and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls – making him the only player to win the award twice. He has also claimed three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Awards, six European Golden Shoes, six La Liga Best Player recognitions, eight Pichichi Trophies and 16 Argentine Footballer of the Year awards.
In addition to the titles and personal accolades, Messi also holds several records across several different competitions. Famously, he holds the record for most goals scored in a calendar year, netting an astounding 91 times in 2012. He also holds the records for the most goals in Europe’s top five leagues (496), most La Liga goals (474), most La Liga goals in a single season (50), most UEFA Champions League group stage goals (80), most UEFA Champions League round of 16 goals (29), and most successive seasons scoring in UEFA Champions League (18). For Argentina, Messi holds the records for most caps (195), most goals (114), and most World Cup goals (13), while also holding the international record for most World Cup match appearances (26) and being the only player to score in the World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
