We have been chewing over the news at MARCA for months. It was already drawn up, and we just had to press the ‘publish’ button. But the famous loose ends took a long time to tie up, hence the impatience of some to take it for granted before it was confirmed.
Finally, after being slow-cooked, Inter Miami officially announced the renewal of Lionel Messi until the end of 2028 (he would end the contract at 41.5 years old), although, as we explained yesterday, these three years of renewal are symbolic. That is to say, if Leo decides to finish them earlier, there will be no problem. Among other things, because he is also the owner of the club as he owns a (still small) part of the shareholding managed by the Mas brothers.
The contract had many edges, and that is why the news, sung months ago, was slow in coming. The fact that MLS intervenes a lot (too much) in all the assets of any club in the league also made the operation a little more complex. And so it was.
Messi has won two titles since joining the club
It is a renewal with big and long-term objectives. Messi has won two titles since joining the club: last year’s Supporters’ Shield (regular season champion) and the 2023 Leagues Cup. The big goal, therefore, is to go for the MLS Cup, whose playoffs start this Saturday (three games) against Nashville. Leo is in great form as the top scorer in the regular season with 29 goals in 28 games
At international level, the ConcaChampions is also a challenge for him (in Europe he won four with Barcelona). In 2024, he said goodbye to that tournament in the quarter-finals, and in 2025 Inter Miami reached the semi-finals. It is a major objective for the club.
And that’s how it all came about. This renewal was so cooked up that the image you see above, of Leo signing his new contract, was taken a few weeks ago. And it has its symbolism. What you see behind is the current skeleton of the new Freedom Park, Inter’s new stadium that will be unveiled early next year and is the future of the club.
An Inter… that can breathe easy with the continuity of its star.
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