After Inter Miami’s 4-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the final 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, Lionel Messi’s career is over.
Inter Miami now turns their attention to Major League Soccer (MLS), where their Eastern Conference campaign was postponed while the Club World Cup was taking place in the United States, after their defeat to the European champions on Sunday.
In his third year at Miami, Messi will continue to lead, but questions remain about his future plans for the club and nation.
After Miami’s defeat by PSG, what did Messi say?
In a match that was dominated by PSG, Messi only managed to save one header from the opposition goalkeeper and a free kick that hit the post.
Messi praised PSG for saying the outcome was “expected” despite his frustration with them.
He told the Latin American sports channel DSports, “The match was what was expected.”
They won the previous Champions League and are in excellent shape, according to the players. We anticipated a match like this. We made an effort to make the most of the Club World Cup, and I think we succeeded.
When will Messi play for Inter Miami next?
Miami will return to action in the league on Sunday with a trip to Montreal based on their top-placed finish in the Eastern Conference in 2024.
After his Argentinian compatriot started and finished all of Miami’s games at the tournament, it is unclear whether Messi will start the game or whether coach Javier Mascherano will rest him.
After 2025, will Messi remain with Inter Miami?
The Miami owners are hopeful of extending Messi’s stay, but he has not committed his future to the US team yet. His contract expires at the end of 2025.
Jorge Mas, the club’s co-owner, brother Jose, and David Beckham, a former player, have both expressed hope for Messi’s future.
Jorge told ESPN, “My dream is for the number 10 [Messi] to inaugurate our new stadium in March [2026].
He quickly conceded control of the situation, saying that Messi had no authority over the outcome.
“We wish that Messi’s career ends here,” he said. I suggested that we should hear about that in the summer, but I’m hoping to hear it as soon as possible. We’re just waiting for Lionel Messi to become available to the fans.
At Inter Miami, how much money does Messi make?
By far, Messi is the MLS’s highest-paid football player.
The forward is expected to make $ 20.4% in guaranteed compensation in 2025, with a base salary of $ 12 million. He is arguably the greatest football player ever.
Will Messi visit Barcelona again?
The Argentinian, who was 13 years old, signed for the Catalan club as an academy student and left in tears as one of its greatest players in 2021.
Messi claimed he could not join another European club after moving to the US in 2023 and revealed how deeply bonded he was with Barcelona.
Messi stated earlier this year, “I couldn’t see myself playing for another European team that wasn’t Barca” after the World Cup. “It was my intention to return to my home, where everything began. Unfortunately, that was a possibility.
However, according to reports, Barcelona may attempt to entice Messi back to the place he once called “home” with the payment of their $ 7 million debt to him set to close on Monday.
According to Argentinian football journalist Maximiliano Grillo, Barcelona are awaiting Messi’s release from his Miami contract before signing him back after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The potential fairytale return has not been covered by the club nor Messi’s representatives.
In 2026, will Messi compete in the FIFA World Cup?
In 2022, the 38-year-old won the third and first FIFA World Cup title in Qatar.
In the run-up to the tournament, Messi has not committed or cut ties with La Albiceleste, despite the South American giants having qualified for the following edition, which is co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the US.
He was a member of the squad when they first started the qualification process, but injuries prevented the team from playing any of their final matches.
Lionel Scaloni, the coach of Argentina, thinks there is “plenty of time” to decide Messi’s future in international football.
We must play one game at a time, because he won’t be heard about for the rest of the year and we need to leave him alone. In March, Scaloni spoke of Messi’s future, “we will see.”
He can decide it however he pleases. Don’t let this make him crazy, please.
However, Messi’s teammates had very clear instructions.
After Argentina defeated Brazil 4-1 in the qualifiers, Julian Alvarez predicted that “we might have scored two or three more goals with Messi.”
Rodrigo de Paul, however, echoed Messi’s sentiments as an Argentinian and international fan when he said: “The best of our teams always happens when the number 10 is playing because he is the greatest of all time.”
Will Messi join Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League?
When Messi left PSG in the early 2023s, his name was first associated with the Saudi Pro League, but his decision to leave was quickly voided as he signed a deal with Miami.
The rumor mill has since surfaced as the player is nearing the end of a new contract.
Saudi Arabia appears to be a distant destination for the great who is getting closer to retiring, given the Messi family’s settled lifestyle in the Sunshine State, his proximity to Argentina, and his country’s upcoming title defense at a FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the US.
Will Messi retire?
After Inter Miami’s crushing 4-0 defeat to PSG on Sunday and its exit from the competition, Messi did not make a retirement schedule with either Inter Miami or Argentina.
Messi did make a hint earlier in the Club World Cup that his international career might be coming to an end.
Source: Aljazeera
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