Lionel Messi Signs Multi-Year Contract Extension with Inter Miami

Strategic Insights -

Inter Miami has secured a significant coup, signing star player Lionel Messi to a multi-year contract extension that will keep him with the team until the end of the 2028 MLS season. The deal, which was reportedly months in the making, includes equity in the club upon Messi's retirement as a player. With this extension, Messi will remain under contract until he is 41 years old, cementing his legacy as a stalwart member of the team.

Key Takeaways:

  • The contract extension is expected to be the last of Messi's professional career.
  • Messi has been the highest-paid player in MLS since joining the club in 2023, with a salary of over $20m per year in guaranteed compensation.
  • The extension will theoretically keep Messi under contract until he is 41 years old.
  • Messi has been an integral part of Inter Miami's success, leading the team to the 2023 Leagues Cup title and the 2024 Supporters' Shield.
  • The club has become a destination of choice for Messi's former teammates, with ex-Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets joining the team in recent years.
  • Messi has thrived in MLS, scoring 71 goals with 37 assists in 82 appearances, despite missing nearly half the 2024 season with an ankle injury.
  • If Messi wins the MLS MVP award in 2025, he will become the first player to win the award twice since Predrag "Preki" Radosavljevic in 1997 and 2003.

Statistics:

  • Messi's annual salary is over $20m per year in guaranteed compensation.
  • Inter Miami has won the 2023 Leagues Cup title and the 2024 Supporters' Shield with Messi on the team.
  • Messi has scored 71 goals with 37 assists in 82 appearances for Inter Miami.
  • Messi has missed nearly half the 2024 season with an ankle injury.
  • If Messi wins the MLS MVP award in 2025, he will become the first player to win the award twice since Predrag "Preki" Radosavljevic in 1997 and 2003.

Sources:

  • "Lionel Messi signs multi-year contract extension with Inter Miami" by the Guardian sport (no date mentioned, but article mentions "Thursday" as the date of the announcement)
  • No other specific date or timestamp is mentioned in the source.