Lionel Messi will have to make a big decision in the next few months. At the end of June, his current contract with Paris Saint-Germain will end.
Messi signed a two-year deal with PSG in August 2021, right after he left Barcelona in tears because of money problems. The 35-year-old has put together a star-studded front line in France’s capital, where he plays with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, but it could all end when the season is over.
Since Messi was the main reason why Argentina won the World Cup in December, there has been a lot of talk about what he will do next. At the time, reports said he was thinking about PSG’s offer to extend his contract, but L’Equipe now says he is leaning towards leaving Paris.
On the weekend, his beautiful free kick in the 95th minute helped his team beat Lille 4-3. This showed how important he is to Christophe Galtier’s team. But could they lose him soon? Mirror Football looks at five possible places for Messi to go if he does decide to stop playing in France.
Inter Miami
The MLS team, which is owned in part by David Beckham and coached by Phil Neville, hasn’t been shy about wanting to sign Messi.
The Times said they are “confident” of signing Messi and would offer him a deal that would make him the highest-paid player in MLS history.
Messi is known to like the city of Miami. He has gone there on vacation with his family more than once, so it’s clear that the way of life there is appealing. But is he ready to give up the higher level of football in Europe and move to the US?
Barcelona
Messi made it clear that he did not want to leave Barca in August 2021. “We thought we were going to stay here, at home,” he said as he tried hard not to cry. “I did everything I could to stay, because I wanted to stay.”
Messi is from Barcelona, and even though the club is having money problems, there will always be a desire to bring the Argentine star back.
Messi might be willing to take a big pay cut to finish his career with the club where he scored 672 goals in 778 games and won 35 trophies. However, the club would likely have to make sacrifices in other areas to get him back.
Manchester City
In the summer of 2021, Messi was linked to more than just PSG. Manchester City was also mentioned as a possible destination because Pep Guardiola is there and the club has a lot of money.
Guardiola hasn’t been afraid to praise Messi, who did great things at Barcelona while he was in charge.
No matter how good Messi is, though, City’s strategy in the transfer market would change if they signed a player who will soon be 36.
Al-Hilal
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr for a lot of money showed that Saudi Arabia is willing to spend a lot of money to get star players to join its league. There have been rumours that Messi could move to Riyadh ever since Ronaldo did.
Saudi Arabia wants to host the 2030 World Cup, and the country would love to have Messi on board as an ambassador.
Mundo Deportivo recently said that Al-rivals Nassr’s Al-Hillal would be willing to pay Messi a staggering £245m per year. This is a huge amount compared to Ronaldo’s annual salary of £177m. That sounds like a good deal.
The Newell’s Old Boys
Messi told TyC Sports five years ago, “The desire is always to play for Newell’s. It’s what I dreamed of as a kid.” “When I joined the club, I thought I would play in the Primera Division, but I have no idea what will happen in a few years. I can’t say I’m going back because I don’t know where I’m going.”
It would be romantic for Messi to go back to where it all began for him as a child before he moved to Barcelona, and he might like the idea. After Messi won the World Cup, which was the last trophy he wanted, he could pack up and go back to Argentina for one last game before he retired.
