11 months ago
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Lizzy BecheranoJul 4, 2025, 01:47 PM ET
Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi stay successful negotiations to widen the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's declaration beyond the extremity of 2025, a root told ESPN.
Despite caller reports linking Messi to clubs successful different leagues, some Inter Miami and the Argentine skipper stay funny successful continuing their narration connected the field.
Messi signed with Inter Miami successful July 2023 connected a two-and-a-half twelvemonth Designated-Player declaration done the extremity of the 2025 MLS season. Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas told ESPN past month that the squad volition instrumentality immoderate measures indispensable to guarantee Messi remains with the nine moving forward, with cautious optimism implicit the renewal.
Miami is acceptable to unfastened a caller stadium, Miami Freedom Park, successful clip for the 2026 season.
"I antecedently said that my wish, my imagination would beryllium for the fig 10 to inaugurate our caller stadium successful March. This is simply a determination that rests connected Messi. We privation for Messi to decorativeness his vocation here. I said a fewer months agone that we should person quality successful the summertime astir that but hopefully it volition beryllium arsenic soon arsenic possible," Mas said.
"But I americium optimistic due to the fact that we person done everything imaginable for Leo to consciousness astatine home, to consciousness comfortable. I ever said that helium is simply a competitory animal, helium wants to win. I anticipation we tin rise galore trophies unneurotic present astatine Inter Miami successful the coming years. Here, we're conscionable waiting to beryllium capable to springiness the fans the bully quality astir Lionel Messi."
Messi has led Miami to its archetypal ever trophies, with the inaugural 2023 Leagues Cup followed by the 2024 Supporters' Shield and a league grounds for astir points successful a azygous season.
The Supporters' Shield earned Inter Miami a spot successful the 2025 Club World Cup, wherever they qualified to the knockout signifier successful 2nd spot of Group A earlier falling 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain circular of 16.
Individually, Messi has recorded 31 goals and 22 assists successful 38 regular-season MLS games and won the 2024 league MVP grant for his contributions connected the pitch. He besides managed 7 goals and 2 assists successful 9 Concacaf Champions Cup matches crossed the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
Inter Miami caput manager Javier Mascherano said Friday helium doesn't speech to Messi astir his contractual concern with the club, alternatively focusing the conversations connected the game.
"No, I don't get progressive successful those matters," helium told reporters. "What we talked astir the [Club World Cup] is that, speech from the past match, which was intelligibly hard for us, we played well, we competed and we were up to the task. We hoped we could bash it. Sometimes shot gives you the accidental and sometimes it doesn't."
Inter Miami returns to enactment for the archetypal clip since being eliminated from the Club World Cup erstwhile visiting CF Montreal successful an MLS regular-season lucifer connected Saturday.
