Lionel Messi has spent two decades deflecting retirement questions with a simple shrug and cagey answer. However, that all changed this week. Sadly, Jorge Messi, Lionel's father, died this week at 68 years old following a long illness, and the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has made the emotional decision to call time on his Argentina career.
He posted a lengthy statement, which he wrote just two days after the defeat to Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It detailed loss, love, and celebration, rounding out a journey that saw him win the World Cup in 2022 as the player of the tournament, before then helping guide them to another final in 2026.
It remains to be seen whether his international retirement will lead the greatest player of all time to step away from club football. But with his days numbered now more than ever, it begs the question of how much longer the 39-year-old will continue.
Scenario One: End of This Season?
The most immediate possibility is that Messi returns to Inter Miami, sees out the MLS campaign, and uses the off-season to decide whether grief has genuinely changed his relationship with the game beyond international football or simply clouded it during this tough moment of his life.
Messi has a previous history of separating emotion from decision-making around football. He briefly "retired" from international duty in 2016 after the Copa América final loss, only to reverse course within weeks. At the time, according to The BBC, he said: "For me, the national team is over, I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion. It's been four finals, I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn't get it, so I think it's over."
Upon reversing his decision, according to The Guardian, he said: "I love this country and this shirt too much. I see that there are many problems in Argentine football and I do not want to create another. I don't want to cause any harm. A lot of things went through my head on the day of the final and I seriously considered quitting, but I love this country and this shirt too much."
Whilst grief is a completely different weight than a lost final, there is a pattern that a raw public statement isn't a shock reaction from Messi.
Scenario Two: He Sees Out His Inter Miami Contract
Messi's deal with Inter Miami runs to the end of the 2028 MLS season, by which point he will be 41. As recently as May, Antonio Cassano recalls a conversation he had with Messi, where Cassano was apparently told by the Argentine : "I can play three or four more years. I do it for the love of soccer, I enjoy it."
Inter Miami's ownership has been planning for a post-Messi era, managing owner Jorge Mas has spoken about the club's long-term squad building beyond him. Messi has earned the right to make his own decision, according to Inter Miami Chief Business Owner, Xavier Asensi. He told MARCA:
" There will come a moment when Leo is no longer playing, it would be reckless not think about the post-Leo era. The idea is that, once he stops playing, he'll have an option with Inter to invest his time, once he's no longer an active player, he'll become part of Inter Miami's shareholding group."
There is so much infrastructure and planning behind Messi's exit that it would seem more than likely that Inter Miami expect Messi to at least see out his contract until 2028, and then take up a role within the club.
Scenario Three: Newell's Old Boys Return
The romantic version of Messi's end-of-club career finale has been circulating for years, but it only became a true possibility in 2026. Newell's Old Boys, the club Messi supported as a boy and left at 13 for Barcelona, have been working on a plan to bring Messi home, at least on loan for the first half of the 2027 season before returning to see out his Inter Miami contract.
"We are working on Leo Playing for Newell's in the first half of 2027," Newell vice President Manuel Medina said, via the Independent.
"It's a project that goes beyond Newell's. It's a project for the city of Rosario, the province, and Argentine football. It all depends on what we can offer in terms of infrastructure and a competitive sports program."
Messi has previously spoken publicly about his desire to return to Argentina. With his father's passing and burial in Rosario, and Messi's own desire, the return would mean more time with his family, and the argument for an emotional homecoming has never been stronger.
For now, Messi's retirement begins and ends with Argentina. But the fact he has been thinking for over a month about his latest decision would suggest he surely hasn't gone that long without also weighing up when the right time to say farewell to the pitch as a whole.