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Lionel Messi Close to Making Major Career Decision: Report

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 3:46 PM ET

Many have wondered what the future holds for Inter Miami CF star Lionel Messi after his contract with the club expires at the end of 2025.

The 37-year-old soccer star has logged 25 goals and 21 assists in 25 starts over two-plus seasons after joining Miami in July 2023 following professional stints with Barcelona in La Liga, the top Spanish soccer league, and Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, the top French soccer league.

Messi totaled 496 goals in 578 appearances between the two leagues before coming stateside to join the upstart MLS side co-owned by international soccer star and former MLS standout David Beckham and Jorge Mas, the managing owner.

And now, it seems Messi will be tied to Inter Miami for the foreseeable future after The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on Friday that the global superstar is closing in on a lucrative contract extension with the MLS side.

“Inter Miami is close to an agreement with Lionel Messi over a contract extension, which would see the Argentina forward lead his side into their new home at Miami Freedom Park next year,” Ornstein wrote.

Mas seemingly confirmed the news during a radio appearance with FDP Radio Miami earlier this week.

“The stars are aligning for something great, for a beautiful future for the club and for Lionel,” Mas said. “It’s solely his decision.

“I expect that within 60-90 days we’ll have to determine all of this. My hope has always been — and everything we’re doing — is to see Messi play at our new stadium in 2026. Hopefully, that happens.”

A potential Messi extension is a huge win for Miami, which is set to move from its current venue — 21,550-seat Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale — to the brand new, state-of-the-art 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park in 2026.

The team’s new stadium is part of a larger 130-plus acre mixed-use development that will also house a public park, plus entertainment and hospitality locations for the greater Miami area.

Inter Miami has experienced its greatest success thanks to Messi, who helped lead the club to its first-ever trophies — the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield — plus its first-ever playoff appearance last season.

Messi himself has also racked up quite a few personal accomplishments in Miami, including winning the MLS MVP award (2024), breaking the MLS single-game record for assists (five) and goal contributions (six), becoming the first soccer player to be named the “Time” Athlete of the Year (2023), and becoming the club’s all-time leading goal scorer in less than two-and-a-half seasons.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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