The future Messi: contract in Miami until 2028, one last Ballon d'Or? and his life outside football

Leo Messi is still going strong, even though he will no longer play for the National Team. The proof is the four goals he scored on Sunday with Inter Miami (he is currently the league’s top scorer with 18 goals). In other words, football-wise, there is a very much still-active Leo. There is no doubt about it. Another matter is his mind, his desire... which, surely, will one day be what says "enough". And even more so after the loss of Jorge, his father. But let’s stick to the concrete facts.

Leo (LM) is under contract with Inter until the end of 2028. However, especially in Leo’s case, that is merely a piece of information. No one should doubt that it means nothing. LM will retire whenever he wants, and Inter Miami will accept it that way, giving him a place in its shareholding and structure so he can remain linked to the club if he wants.

Sportingly, Leo still has some titles left to fight for to add to the 48 trophies he has (it is the world record, not counting the individual ones). He still has, for example, the 2026 MLS, a tournament in which he is immersed right now. Inter are the defending champions. Ah, and in the short term, no one dares rule him out for his ninth Ballon d'Or. Watch out for that possible award in October, the month in which he will also receive the Prince of Asturias in Oviedo.

If his head and his legs made him want to continue (nothing can be ruled out either way), Messi would also have challenges in 2027: a short MLS season through June (soccer in the United States will be rescheduled to the European calendar next year); the following 2027-28 MLS season; the 2028 ConcaChampions (a title much cherished in Miami and unprecedented for the club)... In short, there are objectives, if Leo wants to keep going.

And then there is his life outside football (Messi will turn 40 on June 24, 2027). In other words, a long life ahead with his family and his businesses, which are many and varied: he is the face of many brands, the owner of a wine, some energy drinks... That is to say, Leo's image could fill several lifetimes, but his family and those around him have always had the concern of extending his legacy beyond the ball.

The most concrete example is the purchase of Unió Esportiva Cornellà, a club in Catalonia's Tercera Federación that Leo acquired this year as a way of perpetuating his surname in football. A tiny "toy" that he wants to make big through his management and that of his team in the coming years.

Not for nothing, let us remember that LM will most likely live in Catalonia (he still keeps the house in Castelldefels) when he retires from football. From there, he will surely enjoy his family, manage his businesses, and perpetuate his legacy in football from this other perspective, beyond everything he will surely represent as the eternal ambassador of Argentine football.

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