Lionel Messi has signed a multi-year contract extension with Inter Miami, sealing a deal that will keep him in South Florida until the end of the 2028 MLS season. The contract is expected to be the last of his professional career.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in Miami’s announcement on Thursday, but Messi has been MLS’s highest-paid player by a distance since joining the club in the summer of 2023. His first deal paid him over $20m per year in guaranteed compensation – more the total payroll of about two-thirds of the 30-team league in 2025. His deal also includes equity in the club upon his retirement as a player.
The extension will theoretically keep Messi under contract until he is 41 years old.
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“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,” Messi said in the announcement. “Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve been very happy, so I’m truly glad to keep going here.”
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham added: “Our vision was to bring the best players to Inter Miami and to this city, and that’s exactly what we have done. 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.”
The deal had been in negotiations for months and accomplishes a key goal of Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas, who has said he wants Messi on the team to inaugurate the team’s new stadium, which is due to open for the 2026 season. Inter Miami’s Instagram post announcing the extension shows Messi signing his contract amid the construction site for the new stadium.
Since beginning life as an expansion team in 2020 and throughout the Messi era so far, Miami have played at the 21,500-capacity Chase Stadium in nearby Fort Lauderdale.
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Messi’s time in MLS has been fruitful for the player, team and league alike. Inter Miami have become the destination of choice for Messi’s ex-teammates looking for another run with the Argentinian superstar. This includes ex-Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets, along with Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul. Javier Mascherano, Messi’s former teammate with Argentina and Barcelona, is in his first year as Miami’s head coach.
On the field, Messi has thrived in MLS. The World Cup winner has scored 71 goals with 37 assists in 82 appearances, leading Miami to the 2023 Leagues Cup title and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield. Miami opens their 2025 MLS Cup playoffs journey on Friday with a best-of-three series against Nashville SC. MLS Cup remains the club’s last hope for a trophy in 2025, with the Herons having missed out on the Supporters’ Shield. They were also eliminated from the Leagues Cup, the Concacaf Champions Cup, and the Club World Cup.
Messi was named the MLS MVP in 2024 despite missing nearly half the season with an ankle injury, and is all but certain to win the award again in 2025. If that happens, Messi will become the first player to win the award twice since Predrag “Preki” Radosavljevic did so in 1997 and 2003 for the Kansas City Wizards (now known as Sporting Kansas City).
Messi is expected to join Argentina for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, having helped the reigning champions qualify for the tournament with relative ease.
