Lionel Messi is set to stick around in South Florida.
After over a month of speculation, the soccer star has signed a new multi-year contract to remain with Inter Miami, the club announced on Thursday, October 23.
After it was reported back in September that the two sides were in the "final stages of the negotiation process," the new deal is now complete.
Messi, 38, first signed with the MLS club in July 2023 following a two-year stint with Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. His presence in Miami became a revelation for MLS in 2023, and most recently, Messi became the fastest player to reach 40 goals in league history during the 2025 season.
Here's what to know about Messi's new deal to remain with Inter Miami.
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Lionel Messi contract extension details
After both ESPN and USA Today reported in mid-September that Lionel Messi was set to sign a contract extension with Inter Miami, the club formally announced the extension on October 23.
HE’S HOME. Pic.twitter.com/AUMJJYR5pF
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 23, 2025
Details of the deal were not immediately released, but the USA Today report claimed that Messi would be signed for "at least two more seasons through 2027." According to ESPN Argentina on the day of the official announcement, the contract is for two years, with the option for a third, giving Messi the potential for a stay through 2028, at which point he would be 41 years old.
Both Messi and Inter Miami had previously expressed their interest in an extension. Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas told ESPN previously that the club would do "anything in its power" to ensure Messi felt comfortable returning and retiring in the area.
Messi's initial 2.5-year deal with Inter Miami that he agreed to in July 2025 was set to expire at the end of the 2025 MLS season. He led the club to the inaugural 2023 Leagues Cup trophy just weeks after his debut, and Messi has set the MLS record for most points in a single season and lifted the 2024 Supporters' Shield in his stint with Inter Miami.
A source told USA Today that the 38-year-old Messi views an extension with the club "as a chance to further Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, the United States and globally" while prolonging his career.
Inter Miami is set to open a new stadium project, Miami Freedom Park, in 2026. Messi is meant to be the face of this project's conclusion, as evident by the club's announcement video for his extension, which seems him symbolically signing the new deal while in the middle of the construction zone for the stadium.
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Lionel Messi salary with Inter Miami
It will not be fully known what Messi is being paid yearly as part of the new deal until the MLS Players Association releases their annual salary budget for every player.
However, thanks to the 2025 release we know that Messi was paid a base salary of $12 million across the current season, with a total guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667.
It has also been widely reported that Messi is also being paid additional money on top of that as part of a deal with Apple and other sponsors since joining the league, but those figures are not made public.
Lionel Messi Inter Miami stats
Messi won the MLS Golden Boot as the top scorer across the 2025 regular season. He scored 29 goals and assisted 16 more across 28 regular season matches, plus another eight goals and three assists in the Club World Cup, Leagues Cup, and CONCACAF Champions Cup combined.
This season, Messi also became the fifth player in MLS history to record back-to-back 20-goal seasons.
He is also Inter Miami’s all-time leading goal scorer with 62 goals and 29 assists since joining the club in 2023.
Jordi ➡️ Messi 🫂 pic.twitter.com/4EuMzFxujr
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 17, 2025