Lionel Messi and Inter Miami agree to extend contract beyond 2026: Source
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Lionel Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023 after an unhappy stay at Paris Saint-Germain.
PHOTO: AFP
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MIAMI – Lionel Messi is set to remain at Inter Miami beyond the 2026 World Cup after he and the club agreed to extend their contract, according to a source close to the matter.
The deal would ensure that the 38-year-old Argentinian superstar remains in competitive action until and after the quadrennial showpiece hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
An official announcement is expected within the next two weeks, the source told AFP on Sept 17 and would mean Messi ending his career in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Messi moved to Miami in 2023 after an unhappy spell at Paris Saint-Germain, but most of his stellar career was spent at Barcelona, where he played from 2004 to 2021 after coming through the youth system at the Spanish giants.
At Barcelona, he won the La Liga title 10 times and lifted the Champions League trophy on four occasions.
In 2022, he led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar and has expressed a desire to try to retain the trophy in 2026.
An eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, Messi was named the MLS Most Valuable Player in the 2024 season, even though his team were eliminated in the play-offs.
In 2025, he became the fastest player to reach 40 goals in MLS history.
In 46 league games for Miami overall, Messi has 41 goals and 27 assists.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho agreed a two-year deal to become Benfica’s coach on Sept 18.
He said he “didn’t hesitate” to express his interest in returning for a second spell as coach of the Portuguese side after arriving in Lisbon on Sept 17.
Benfica sacked coach Bruno Lage following the shock 3-2 Champions League home defeat by Azerbaijani side Qarabag on Sept 16.
The two-time European champions led 2-0 at home before collapsing in a disastrous start to their league-phase campaign.
Mourinho, who was fired by Fenerbahce in August, said Benfica reached out to him to gauge his interest in returning to the club where he started his head coaching career in 2000.
“Benfica officially asked me if I was interested... What coach says no to Benfica? Not me,” the Portuguese told reporters after landing in the Portuguese capital.
“When I was presented with the opportunity to coach Benfica, I didn’t hesitate to say that I’m interested, that I’d like to.”
Mourinho’s previous spell at Benfica lasted just 11 matches at the back end of 2000, but then, after impressing at Uniao de Leiria, he joined Porto and guided them to back-to-back league titles and the Champions League crown in 2004.
That set him on the path to a hugely successful career managing Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, before his fortunes started to nosedive after joining Manchester United in 2016. AFP, REUTERS
