Lionel Messi confirms surprise retirement plan

The little magician has decided his footballing fate

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has been linked for a long time with a move to his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys, however has squashed any rumour of a retire to his native Argentina by committing his future to the MLS franchise.

The 36-year-old described that he is "a little bit scared" of the thought of retiring from football.

The Argentinian wizard said: “Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left, I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches … And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”

Messi arrived at Inter Miami in 2023 from PSG and is contracted at the club until 2025.

He will once again be an integral part of Argentina's national side that will fight for the Copa America which will be hosted in the USA and starts on June 20.

Messi seems to be enjoying his football over in America, helping to build a dream team which includes many of his former Barcelona teammates such as Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

The franchise that was founded by England legend David Beckham played its first match in March 2020, and has made Lionel Messi the jewel in the crown of their squad, not only helping to improve performances on the match, but equally to grow the commercial profile of the club exponentially.

The Argentinian has won one trophy in Miami, the Leagues Cup in 2023 which is disputed between the MLS and the Mexican Liga MX.

He has made 25 goal contributions in 15 games this season for Inter Miami, showing that class really is permanent.