Lionel Messi: Legendary ex-Barcelona football icon plans to retire at Inter Miami

Lionel Messi has recently revealed that he plans to retire at his current club, Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS) - he has also claimed that there is ‘not a lot of time left’ regarding his active playing career.

At the age of 36, with his 37th birthday less than two weeks away, Messi is well beyond the peak of his powers. He is still more than capable of producing results - he has scored 13 goals in 18 games for Miami - but his best years are now behind him.

While Messi has not set an explicit date for his retirement from professional football, it could be when his contract with Miami expires on December 31, 2025. By then, Messi will be 38 years old - he has also yet to retire from international football.

Messi’s career in football is the stuff of legend. Having begun life in the game at Grandoli and then Newell’s Old Boys, he made the jump to Barcelona in 2000. He would remain with the Catalonian giants until 2021 - all in all, he scored 474 La Liga goals, won ten league titles, seven Copa Del Rey trophies and four Champions Leagues.

He moved to PSG in 2021, winning two league titles with them - additionally, during this time, he also won the World Cup in 2022 with his native Argentina.

On his decision to remain with Miami until the end of his professional career, Messi said: “Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left. I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches … And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”