Lionel Messi signs new long-term contract with Inter Miami taking career into his 40s | OneFootball

Lionel Messi has signed a new three-year contract with Inter Miami, keeping him in Major League Soccer into his 40s.

The 38-year-old’s commitment means Miami will have their superstar player when they move into a new stadium next season. In a social media post Messi was shown signing the deal while sitting on the construction site of the new venue, alongside the caption: “He’s home.”

Messi, who earns around $20m per year from Inter Miami, remains vital to the team’s success as they embark on the MLS play-offs with an opening game against Nashville on Friday. He won the league’s MVP award and the Golden Boot last season after scoring 29 goals, and is expected to win the MVP award once again.

“To enjoy him, watching him enjoy doing the things he is doing, he’s very, very competitive and he tries to translate that to the team,” Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano said this week.

“The best way to help him is trying to do the right things ... he has to be comfortable on the pitch. He’s comfortable when things are working in the right way. With him, when we do things the right way, we’ll have many chances to have success.”

Messi’s old Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have joined him in Miami but are both set to retire at the end of the current campaign. Luis Suarez is another former Barca player in Florida, and he is still considering his future.

Messi has still not decided whether he will play in the 2026 World Cup for Argentina, who will travel to the tournament hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico as defending champions.

“I’m trying to feel good and, above all, being honest with myself,” he said last month. “When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don’t feel good. I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup. I’ll finish the season, then I’ll have preseason, and there will be six months left. So we’ll see how I feel.

“Hopefully, I’ll have a good preseason in 2026 and finish this MLS season well, and then I’ll decide.”