Lionel Messi leaves Miami after losing the Club World Cup to Paris Saint-Germain. However, it is still unclear what will happen to him in the MLS and with Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Lionel Messi thanks the fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, as he leaves the field after Inter Miami’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain.
Lionel Messi’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup journey ended in the round of 16 when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) beat Inter Miami 4-0.
Inter Miami will be back in Major League Soccer (MLS) after losing to the European champions on Sunday. Their Eastern Conference campaign came to an end when the Club World Cup was held in the US.
Messi will keep being the leader for Miami in his third season, but it’s not clear what will happen to him with the club or his country.
What did Messi say after PSG beat Miami?
Messi didn’t score in a game that PSG won easily. He had a header saved by the other goalie and a free kick that hit the post.
Messi praised PSG even though he was upset and said the result was “expected.”
He told the Latin American sports network DSports, “The match was what was expected.”
They have a great team, are on fire right now, and just won the Champions League. We wanted to see the contest coming. We did our best, and I think the Club World Cup was a good time overall.
Unfortunately for Messi’s many fans, he couldn’t score in PSG’s net.
When will Messi play for Inter Miami again?
The Heat will play in the league again on Sunday when they go to Montreal. Miami automatically qualified for the Club World Cup in 2024 because they won the Eastern Conference.
It’s not clear if Messi will start the game or if coach Javier Mascherano will give him a break since his Argentinean teammate started and finished every Miami game at the tournament.
Will Messi stay with Inter Miami after 2025?
The owners of the Miami Marlins want to keep Messi until 2025, when his contract ends, even though he hasn’t officially signed with the US club yet.
Many well-known people, like Jorge Mas, Jose, and David Beckham, have said they are hopeful about Messi’s future with the team.
Jorge told ESPN, “I would love for the number 10 [Messi] to open our new stadium in March [2026].”
But he quickly gave up control when he said that Messi “rests on the decision.”
We wish Messi the best as he ends his time with us. A few months ago, I said we should hear about that in the summer, but I hope it happens sooner than that. All we have to do now is wait for the right time to tell the fans the great news about Lionel Messi.
On June 29, 2025, fans packed the stadium to cheer for Inter Miami in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. Many of them were wearing Messi shirts.
How much does Messi make at Inter Miami?
In Major League Soccer, Messi makes more money than any other player.
The striker is widely thought to be the best number ten in football history. This season, he will make $12 million, and next year, he will make $20.4 million.
Is Lionel Messi going back to Barcelona?
The Argentinean joined the Catalan club as a teenager and left in tears in 2021 after being named one of the best players in the club’s history.
Messi moved to the United States in 2023, but he didn’t want to join another European team because he had a personal connection to Barcelona, which he talked about openly.
Earlier this year, Messi said, “After the World Cup, I couldn’t see myself on another European team that wasn’t Barca.” My heart wants to go back home, where it all began. Sadly, that wasn’t possible.
According to predictions, Barcelona may try to get Messi to come back to the place he used to call “home” after they pay him the last $7 million on Monday.
Maximiliano Grillo, an Argentine football journalist, says in an article that came out after the 2026 FIFA World Cup that Barcelona would bring Lionel Messi back after he finishes his contract with Miami.
Messi’s agents and the club have not said anything about the possible fairytale return.
Lionel Messi cried at his last press conference for FC Barcelona on August 8, 2021. [Reuters’ Albert Gea]
Will Messi be able to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The 38-year-old played in the FIFA World Cup for the first and only time in 2022. He led Argentina to their third straight title in Qatar.
Even though the South American powerhouses qualified for the next tournament, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the US, and Messi hasn’t been committed to or connected with La Albiceleste in the lead-up to the tournament, it is still to come.
The football star missed the last few games because of injuries, but he was there when the team started qualifying.
Lionel Scaloni, the coach of Argentina, says that Messi needs “plenty of time” to decide what to do with the national team.
We should just give him a break because if we don’t move on from one game to the next, we’ll be talking about the same thing all season. Scaloni said in March, “We shall see,” about Messi’s future.
He can choose whenever he wants. Don’t drive him completely crazy over this.
Even so, Messi’s teammates weren’t shy about saying what they wanted.
Julian Alvarez said, “With Messi, we might have scored two or three more goals,” after Argentina’s 4-1 win over Brazil to qualify.
Rodrigo de Paul said, “The best of our teams is always when the number 10 is playing because he is the greatest of all time.” This is what Messi’s fans in Argentina and around the world think too.
Would Messi also join the Saudi Pro League after Ronaldo?
When news broke in early 2023 that Messi wanted to leave PSG, the first thing that came to mind was the Saudi Pro League. But when he signed with Miami, the rumors quickly died down.
The rumors have started up again now that the player’s next contract is about to end.
Saudi Arabia seems far away because the legendary player is about to retire, his family’s life in Florida is stable, he is close to Argentina, and his country is about to defend its championship at a FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the US.
Messi and Ronaldo finally met on January 19, 2023, in Saudi Arabia, when PSG, Ronaldo’s old team, played Al Nassr, Ronaldo’s new team. Franck Fife/AFP took this picture.
When will Messi stop playing?
Messi didn’t say when he would retire after Argentina and Inter Miami were knocked out of the tournament on Sunday by a terrible 4-0 loss to PSG.
Messi hinted that his international career might be coming to an end while playing in the Club World Cup earlier this year.
After Miami’s group stage win over Porto on June 19, Messi said, “I know I’m playing my last games and I’m enjoying them to the fullest.” “You must be seeing my last days in the top level of football.”
