What's next for Messi after Inter Miami's FIFA Club World Cup exit?

Al Jazeera

18 hours ago

Lionel Messi's journey at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has come to an end after Inter Miami were handed a 4-0 thumping by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the tournament's last 16.
Following their loss to the European champions on Sunday, Inter Miami now bring their attention back to Major League Soccer (MLS), where their campaign in the Eastern Conference was put on hold during the Club World Cup in the United States.
Messi will continue to lead in his third year at Miami, but questions remain over his future plans with club and country.
What did Messi say after Miami's loss to PSG?
While Messi failed to score in the game dominated by PSG, he had one header saved by the opposition goalkeeper and a free kick that hit the goalpost.
Despite his frustration, Messi praised PSG by saying the result was 'expected'.
'The match was what was expected,' he told Latin American sports channel DSports.
'They're a great team, winners of the last Champions League, and they're in really good shape. It was the match we expected. We tried to do our best, and I think we left a good impression at the Club World Cup.'
When is Messi's next match for Inter Miami?
Miami entered the Club World Cup on the basis of their top-placed finish in the Eastern Conference in 2024 and will resume their league action with a trip to Montreal on Sunday.
It is unclear whether Messi will start the game or will be rested by coach Javier Mascherano after his Argentinian compatriot started and finished all of Miami's games at the tournament.
Will Messi stay at Inter Miami after 2025?
The club captain's contract at Miami runs out at the end of 2025, and while he has not committed his future openly to the US team, Miami's owners are hopeful of extending Messi's stay.
Jorge Mas, the club's co-owner, along with brother Jose and former footballer David Beckham, has expressed optimism over Messi's future.
'My dream would be for the number 10 [Messi] to inaugurate our new stadium in March [2026],' Jorge told ESPN.
However, he was quick to relinquish control of the situation by saying the decision 'rests on Messi'.
'We wish for Messi to finish his career here. I said a few months ago that we should have news in the summer about that, but hopefully it will be as soon as possible. We're just waiting to be able to give the fans the good news about Lionel Messi.'
How much does Messi earn at Inter Miami?
Messi is, by far, the best-paid footballer in the MLS.
Arguably the greatest ever number 10 in football, the forward is set to earn $20.4m in guaranteed compensation in 2025, with a base salary of $12m.
Will Messi return to Barcelona?
The Argentinian joined the Catalan club as an academy signee at the age of 13 and left it in tears as one of its greatest ever players in 2021.
Following his move to the US in 2023, Messi opened up about his emotional bond with Barcelona, saying he could not join another European club.
'After the World Cup, I couldn't see myself in another European team that wasn't Barca,' Messi said earlier this year. 'My goal was to come back to my home, where everything started. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.'
However, with Barcelona expected to settle the final $7m instalment of their financial debt owed to Messi on Monday, reports say the club could try to lure him back to the place Messi once called 'home'.
Barcelona are waiting for Messi to see out his contract at Miami before bringing him back after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Argentinian football journalist Maximiliano Grillo.
Neither the club nor Messi's representatives have commented on the possible fairytale return.
Will Messi play in the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The 38-year-old led Argentina to their third and his first FIFA World Cup crown in Qatar in 2022.
While the South American giants have qualified for the next edition – co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US – Messi has neither committed nor cut ties with La Albiceleste in the run-up to the tournament.
He was part of the squad as they began the qualification process, but injuries kept the football great out of action in the last few matches.
Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni believes there is 'plenty of time' to take a call on Messi's future in international football.
'We must go one game at a time, otherwise [we] will be speaking about the same thing the rest of the year, and we need to leave him alone. We will see,' Scaloni said of Messi's future in March.
'He will decide it whenever he wants. Let's not drive him crazy with this.'
Messi's teammates, though, were very clear about their wishes.
'With Messi, we might have scored two or three more goals,' Julian Alvarez said after Argentina's 4-1 win over Brazil in the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo de Paul echoed Messi's Argentinian and global fans' sentiments when he said: 'The best of our teams is always when the number 10 is playing because he is the greatest of all time.'
Will Messi follow Ronaldo to Saudi Pro League?
Messi's name was first linked to the Saudi Pro League when his decision to leave PSG surfaced in early 2023, but the news was swiftly quashed as he signed a deal with Miami.
Now, with the player nearing the end of another contract, the rumour mill has resurfaced.
However, given the Messi family's settled lifestyle in the Sunshine State, his proximity to Argentina and his nation's upcoming title defence at a FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the US, Saudi Arabia seems like a distant destination for the great who is inching closer to his retirement.
Is Messi going to retire?
After Inter Miami's crushing 4-0 loss to PSG on Sunday and exit from the tournament, Messi did not announce a timeline for retirement, either with Inter Miami or Argentina.
Messi did hint earlier in the Club World Cup, that his time on the global stage may be coming to an end.
'I'm conscious that I'm playing my final matches and I'm enjoying them to the maximum,' Messi said after Miami's group match victory against Porto on June 19. 'I'm sure that you're watching my final moments in football's elite.'