Lionel Messi has said Inter Miami is going to be his “last club” and admitted that “there’s not a lot of time left” in his career.
The 36-year-old joined Inter Miami last summer, bringing an end to his 20-year stint in Europe in which he played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
The eight-time Ballon D’Or winner has scored 14 goals in all competitions for an Inter Miami side that is top of the Eastern Conference this season. Messi has been joined by his former Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba at Miami and told ESPN Argentina in an exclusive interview that he thinks “it’s going to be my last club.”
Messi is Barcelona’s top scorer with 672 goals and scored 32 goals and registered 35 assists in his two seasons at PSG. In a storied career that has seen him win 40 trophies for club and country — including four Champions Leagues and a Copa America title — its crowning glory is the World Cup he won with Argentina in 2022. And speaking to ESPN for an interview to air Wednesday, Messi said the triumph in Qatar gave him new perspective on his career.
“I’ve done this all of my life; I love playing ball. I enjoy the practices and the day to day, the games. Yeah, there’s a bit of fear that it’s all ending. It’s always there. It was a difficult step leaving Europe to come here [Miami],” he said.
“The fact we won the World Cup helped, it helped a lot, to see things in another way. But I try not to think about it. I try to enjoy it. I do that more now because I’m aware that there’s not a lot of time left. So I have a good time with the club, being lucky having good teammates and friends at my side.
“I enjoy my time with the national team, where I also have good friends, too, and a lot. I enjoy those small details that I know I’ll miss when I stop playing.”
While injuries saw Messi miss Argentina’s games against El Salvador and Costa Rica in March, he remains integral to their chances of retaining the Copa América later this summer and marked his return to the international stage in Argentina’s win over Ecuador on Sunday.