FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, USA (AP) — Lionel Messi has finally agreed to a new contract with Inter Miami, a deal that took months to lock in and that will keep the sport’s biggest icon with the MLS club as it prepares to unveil a brand-new stadium next year.
The agreement was announced on Thursday, a day before Inter Miami’s playoff clash with Nashville. The Argentine superstar’s team — the third seed in the Eastern Conference — will host the opening leg of that best-of-three series on Friday night.
Details of the terms were not disclosed immediately, though Inter Miami was aiming for a pact that would run through 2027 or 2028. The notion of Messi, 38, playing two or three more seasons would certainly provide a lift to ticket sales at the stadium the club has been constructing near Miami’s international airport. The club began selling ticket packages and taking deposits on seats at the new venue for more than a year, all with the expectation that the “La Pulga” would remain part of the franchise.
Messi and Argentina will attempt to defend their World Cup title next year, a tournament staged in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Messi, who will turn 39 amid the World Cup, has said he will only compete in that event if he feels physically up to it.
Messi’s decision to stay in Miami matters to both the club and MLS. He was the league MVP last season and is the overwhelming favorite to win the award again this year, which would make him only the second player in league history to win it twice and the first to do so in consecutive years. Preki captured MVP honors in 1997 and 2003.
“Watching him enjoy himself, seeing him relish the things he’s doing, is extremely competitive and he tries to pass that on to the team,” Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said. “The best way to help him is by doing things right… he has to feel comfortable on the field. He’s at ease when things are functioning as they should.”
“With him, when we do things well, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to succeed,” added the Argentine strategist.
