Lionel Messi signs Inter Miami contract extension through 2028 season

• Messi won MLS MVP in 2024, is favored to repeat

• Deal will keep him in Miami for new stadium opening

Lionel Messi has signed a multi-year contract extension with Inter Miami, sealing a deal that will keep him in South Florida until the end of the 2028 MLS season. The contract is expected to be the last of his professional career.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in Miami's announcement on Thursday, but Messi has been MLS's highest-paid player by a distance since joining the club in the summer of 2023. His first deal paid him over $20m per year in guaranteed compensation - more the total payroll of about two-thirds of the 30-team league in 2025. His deal also includes equity in the club upon his retirement as a player.