FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has reportedly ‘agreed to leave’ Inter Miami for the ‘last team he’ll play for’ ahead of the expiry of his contract.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is rightly considered one of the best footballers of all time and he enhanced his reputation further in 2022 as he helped Argentina win the World Cup.
It was initially suspected that Messi would spend his entire senior career at Barcelona, but their financial issues forced him to leave upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2020/21 season.
PSG quickly snapped up the Barcelona icon, who played alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar for the Ligue Un giants during an underwhelming stint in France.
Messi opted to leave PSG in 2023 as he decided to join MLS outfit Inter Miami, who are owned by Manchester United legend David Beckham.
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Messi has sparkled for Inter Miami over the past couple of seasons, grabbing 49 goals and 24 assists in his 59 appearances for the MLS side.
His long-term future is in doubt as his current contract is due to expire at the end of this year and he has been linked with an exit in recent weeks.
It has been suggested that Barcelona are preparing a loan offer so Messi can have ‘one last dance’ at the La Liga outfit, while the ‘door is open’ for a move to the Saudi Pro League to join Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo.
A new report in Spain claims Messi has an ‘agreement to leave’ Inter Miami as he prepares for the 2026 World Cup. He is said to be ‘obsessed’ with playing at the tournament, but he plans to ‘say goodbye to football’ after next summer’s competition.
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It is noted that there has ‘been talk’ of a return to Barcelona as president Joan Laporta ‘would be delighted’ to have Messi, but this prospect ‘does not convince’ the veteran as he ‘no longer has the motivation to play in Europe’.
A move to the Saudi Pro League is also said to be off the table as his family ‘would not be comfortable’ in the Middle East, while a prolonged stay at Inter Miami is off as his ‘mind is already made up to leave’.
With these moves off the table, it is suggested that he has an ‘agreement’ to ‘return home’ to boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys.
‘He’ll be saying goodbye in six months, and he’d already decided what his next challenge will be, and the last team he’ll play for before putting an end to a simply unparalleled career.
‘And as many people could already imagine, Messi wants to live one last adventure at Newell’s Old Boys , where he started playing as a child, before leaving for Barça.’