Lionel Messi makes decision on when he will leave Inter Miami as World Cup winner plans to retire at boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys

Ballon d'Or 2023: Lionel Messi reflects on achieving 'dream' of World Cup win after winning award for eighth time - Eurosport

Lionel Messi has reportedly decided where he will end his playing career, but it won’t be in Miami or Barcelona.

Messi wants to retire at Newell’s Old Boys
World Cup winner snubbed Barcelona return
Inter Miami contract expires in 2025

WHAT HAPPENED? Messi’s Inter Miami contract is set to expire in 2025, at which point – according to El Nacional – he will look to return to boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina. There is an option for the World Cup winner to extend his deal with Miami for an extra year, but the report states that he wants to retire in his homeland.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Messi left Barcelona in 2021 after more than two decades at the club, having joined the Spanish giants from Newell’s as a 13-year-old. He snubbed a return to Camp Nou when he left Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, and it now looks like a fairy tale return to Barca is never going to happen.

WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?: Messi scored 10 goals in his first seven games for David Beckham’s Miami franchise, but he has spent the past month injured. He will play a farewell match at Barcelona at some point, even if he does not return to play for the club.