October 23 – Lionel Messi has signed a new multi-year deal with Inter Miami, extending his stay in South Florida until the end of the 2028 MLS season.
The financial terms remain under wraps, but Messi’s impact on MLS has been impossible to conceal. Since arriving in 2023, the Argentine has been the league’s highest-paid player by a wide margin, earning over $20 million a year and even securing equity in the club when his playing days end. Now, with a deal that could see him still pulling the strings at 41, the question looms large: how much of MLS’s newfound global relevance is bound up in one man and what will happen when he makes his stage exit?
“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. “Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve been very happy, so I’m truly glad to keep going here.”
Messi’s impact on the field has been as game changing for Inter Miami as his impact off it has been for MLS.
In 104 games across all competitions since his arrival in 2023 he has scored 71 goals and is already the MLS’s all-time leading scorer. In 2024 he led Inter Miami to their first Supporter’s Shield having won the 2023 Leagues Cup (Inter Miami’s first silverware) following his mid-season arrival in Miami. He won the MLS MVP award in 2024 and looks nailed on to win it in 2025 – that would make him the first player to win it in two consecutive seasons.
For Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, Messi’s presence is the embodiment of the club’s mission. “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.”
As construction continues on Miami’s new stadium ahead of its 2026 opening, Messi’s signature is the cherry on top of MLS’s cake.
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