Argentina’s Lionel Messi signed a new contract with Inter Miami early Thursday, keeping him in MLS until 2028.
Published October 24, 2025
Inter Miami and Lionel Messi just announced that they have agreed to a three-year contract extension, and the South Florida side will begin its 2025 Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs campaign on Friday night with the opening game of a best-of-three first-round series against Nashville SC in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The deal, which was reportedly agreed in principle a month ago, will keep Messi under contract with Miami until 2028. Among other things, this will allow Messi to remain the face of the Herons when they open their new stadium at Miami Freedom Park next season.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
“I’m really happy to stay here and play in this stadium at Miami Freedom Park, a project that is not only a dream but also a beautiful reality,” Messi said at an event on the stadium grounds announcing the extension. “I’ve been happy ever since I came to Miami, so I’m really glad I continued coming here.”
More immediately, he will look to help Miami, the third seed in the Eastern Conference, win its first MLS Cup title after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Atlanta United at this stage of the 2024 playoffs.
There are every signs that Messi, 38, is ready. He had a hat trick and an assist on the final day of the regular season against Nashville in a 5–2 win, becoming the league’s leading scorer with 29 goals and winning the Golden Boot Award.
Miami has won five straight against No. 6 seed Nashville and is undefeated in eight games in all competitions against the Coyotes since Messi joined the team in the summer of 2023.
Messi has scored 10 goals in seven games against Nashville, the most he has ever scored against an MLS opponent.
However, the final score of Saturday’s game pleased Miami after Nashville clearly controlled the first half and entered halftime with a 2-1 lead.
And this may be the best team in Nashville history, led by a thriving offensive line in Sam Surridge (24 goals) and Hany Mukhtar (16 goals).
“I thought it was basically a two-half story,” Nashville coach BJ Callahan said after the game. “And we’ll take some lessons from the second half. But at the same time, I think there are some positives to take from the first half. We’re going to blend those things together and come out even stronger next week.”
