Messi set to draw curtains on Inter Miami career; chooses next club

MIAMI: There are indications that Argentina's legendary star Lionel Messi will leave American Major League Soccer Club Inter Miami after his contract expires in December next year. Messi's contract with Inter Miami extends until December 2025. Spanish news agency El Nacional has reported that Messi will return to his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys in Argentina.

From 1995 to 2000, Messi was the star of Newell's. In 2016, Messi stated in an interview with the Spanish Magazine El Panetta that he wanted to end his career at his boyhood club. When Barcelona cancelled Messi's contract in 2021, Newell's Old Boys fans took to the streets demanding the player return to their club.

In 2000, Messi moved to Barcelona in Spain and joined Club's La Masia academy to later transform into an iconic star for 21 years. In 2021, Barca had to let Messi go because of La Liga's Financial Fair Play regulations. After nearly one year with PSG, Messi moved to Inter Miami on a two-year contract in 2023.