Inter Miami CF signs Leo Messi to contract extension

Inter Miami CF announced today it has signed Club captain, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup Champion, Leo Messi, to a contract extension running through the 2028 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

“It makes me really happy to stay here and to continue with this project that, besides being a dream, has become a beautiful reality — playing in this stadium, at Miami Freedom Park. Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve been very happy, so I’m truly glad to keep going here.

We’re all really excited about the moment when we can finally play at Miami Freedom Park. We can’t wait for it to be finished — to experience it from the inside, in our new home, and for the fans to enjoy it as well. It’s going to be something very special to play at home in such a spectacular stadium.” said Messi from the new stadium site.

“We promised our fans that we would dream big to build an iconic club. A club that represents the passion, hard work and dedication of all those that came before us to create a Miami built on dreams, said Inter Miami CF Managing Owner, Jorge Mas. “Leo signing through 2028 is an ode to our amazing city. We very much look forward to writing new chapters at our stadium at Miami Freedom Park. Together we will continue building and dreaming.”

“Our vision was to bring the best players to Inter Miami and to this city, and that’s exactly what we have done,” said Inter Miami CF Co-Owner, David Beckham. “We brought the best player to have ever played the game to our city. That shows our commitment to Miami, but it also shows Leo’s commitment to the city, to the Club, and to the game. He’s still as committed as he’s ever been and he still wants to win. As owners, to have a player that loves the game as much as he does, and who has done as much for the game in this country and to inspire the next generation of young talent as he has, we feel very lucky.”

Messi initially arrived in South Florida in the summer of 2023, kickstarting an era of success for the Club. Since then, he was key in guiding Inter Miami to its historic first two trophies by winning the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield titles, collecting 2023 Leagues Cup Best Player and Top Scorer awards (10 goals in seven appearances) and earning 2024 MLS Landon Donovan MVP Award honors (36 goal contributions - 20 goals, 16 assists - in 20 regular season appearances) in the process. Our Club captain followed up with a stellar 2025 MLS regular season, winning the 2025 MLS Golden Boot Award presented by Audi with 29 goals to become the first Inter Miami player to win the prestigious award.

On the international stage, Messi guided Inter Miami to a historic round of 16 berth in the revamped 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and to the semifinals of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. In all, the Argentine legend has racked up 71 goals and 44 assists, both the most in Club history, in 82 appearances across all competitions for Inter Miami.