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WHAT HAPPENED?
As things stand, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi remains under contract at MLS side Inter Miami. Having been on their books since the summer of 2023, the all-time great has the option to trigger a 12-month extension.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
A move to join eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League is also being speculated on, amid talk of lucrative terms being readied in the Middle East, with Messi staying tight-lipped on his future.
Getty/GOALDID YOU KNOW?
A sensational retracing of steps to Camp Nou has also been mooted, but Messi - at 38 years of age - is not expected to join teen sensation Lamine Yamal in Catalunya. Instead, it is being suggested that he could hang up his boots after the 2026 World Cup.
WHAT PETIT SAID
Former Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit has told EscapistMagazine: “Lionel Messi has been linked with a loan back to Barcelona, but Lamine Yamal isn’t going to be on the bench.
“Messi could play in the number 10, but we know that he doesn’t run and can Barcelona control the midfield with only two players in there? There is no way we will see Messi back at Barcelona. I wish him the best in getting to the 2026 World Cup and I think then he will retire.
“Could Messi go on loan elsewhere in Europe before the World Cup? I think he has had really special treatment in America and it would be hard.
“It’s the same situation with Ronaldo and who is able to pay those wages at their ages, you need 10 other players to do the running and top European sides don’t work like that. You don’t see players in modern football that don’t have much movement, that’s why Messi’s time in Europe is over.”
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?
Messi has previously admitted to being intrigued by a spell in Saudi Arabia, while a return to where it all began for him at Newell’s Old Boys would also hold obvious appeal. A decision on his long-term plans is expected to be made imminently.