Messi Extends His Miami Era: Inter Miami Signs on Through 2028

Messi Extends His Miami Era

Inter Miami confirmed on Thursday that Argentine star Lionel Messi has renewed his contract with the club, extending his stay as the team's marquee forward.

Messi appeared in a video posted on the team's official X account, seated at a table and signing the new deal after reviewing it, though the contract length was not disclosed in the clip.

A Career in Numbers and Moments

The curtain was pulled back to reveal the veteran forward amid the construction of the club's new home, Freedom Park, the arena that will host Miami's dreams in the coming years.

MLS's official account announced that Messi signed a three-year deal, running through December 2028.

ESPN reported that Inter Miami aims to capitalize on Messi's star power to promote the branding of the new stadium, which is due to open next year in 2025.

Under the new agreement, the 8-time Ballon d'Or winner will remain with the American club until he turns 41.

Messi's arrival in Miami in the summer of 2023 came on a free transfer after two years with Paris Saint-Germain, which itself had signed him on a free from Barcelona in 2021.

Since joining Inter Miami, the World Cup winner has played 82 matches, scoring 71 goals with 36 assists, including 6 goals from set pieces and 4 penalties, and has claimed two trophies for the club: the Leagues Cup and the Supporters' Shield.

Messi's career totals with club and country remain extraordinary. He has surpassed 900 goals in over 1,180 official matches, including his early years with Barcelona's youth teams where he netted 11 in 32 appearances.

With the first team of Barcelona, Messi scored 672 goals in 778 appearances between 2004 and 2021, before moving to PSG in 2021, where he added 32 goals in 75 games across two seasons.

Internationally, Messi has 130 goals in 217 appearances for Argentina across all age groups, including 14 goals in 18 matches for the under-20 side that won the 2005 World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, and two goals in five games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Argentina won gold.

With the senior national team, he has 114 goals in 194 caps, becoming Argentina's all-time top scorer by a wide margin. Adding his club totals, he sits at 911 goals in 1,181 official matches.

Messi played in five consecutive World Cups from Germany 2006 to Qatar 2022, making 26 appearances and scoring 13 goals. He started modestly with one goal in three matches in 2006, and he went without a goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa despite five appearances.

In Brazil 2014, he exploded with four goals in seven games and led his nation to the final, where he was edged by Germany after extra time.

In Russia 2018 he scored once in four matches, before shining again in Qatar 2022 with seven goals in seven games, guiding Argentina to the title and lifting the long-desired World Cup trophy.

Beyond the World Cup, Messi has taken part in seven Copa América tournaments (2007, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024). Despite losing three finals (2007, 2015, 2016), he finally broke the drought by lifting the trophy in 2021 in Brazil, and added another in 2024.

Across these campaigns, Messi has 14 goals in 39 appearances in the Copa América, with a standout showing at the centennial edition in the United States in 2016, when he scored five times in five games.

He remains one of the most decorated players in football history, and the new Miami deal keeps him in the spotlight as the club eyes a brighter future.

In summary, Messi’s era in Miami now stretches through 2028, anchoring a project that blends global star power with ambitious growth in Major League Soccer.

Sniper-style: If Messi signs another extension, the calendar will file for overtime. The league will call it Messi-vertime.

Sniper-style: In Miami, even the sunshine signs NDAs when Messi is around—it’s a one-man press conference with a tan.