Inter Miami will be the last club that Lionel Messi plays for, and the 36-year-old Argentine international admits that he doesn’t have “much time” left in his career. Messi says winning the 2022 World Cup has given him a new outlook on his career and he hopes to enjoy it while it lasts. He wants to help Argentina defend their Copa America title this month. Speaking in an interview with ESPN Argentina, the 36-year-old admitted that there was “not much time left” in his career, adding that he felt “a bit of fear” from the day he decided to hang up his boots. Messi, who joined Miami from Paris Saint-Germain last summer under a contract until 2025, confirmed that the MLS side “will be my last club”. “I like to play ball,” he said.
“I enjoy training and everyday matches. Yes, there is a slight fear that everything is ending. It’s always there. It was a difficult step to leave Europe to come here [to Miami].”
Considered one of the greatest footballers to ever play the sport, Messi has won 40 trophies for club and country. He is Barcelona’s all-time top scorer with 672 goals and scored a further 32 in a two-year spell with PSG.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner finally won the World Cup, the only trophy that had eluded him for so long, with Argentina in 2022.
He says that winning the World Cup has helped him reflect on his career, and that he hopes to enjoy the final stages of his career.
“The fact that we won the World Cup helped, it helped a lot, to see things in a different way. But I try not to think about it. I try to enjoy it. Now I do it more because I’m aware that it’s not there. a lot of time, so I’m having a good time at the club, I’m happy to have good teammates and friends.
“I enjoy the national team, where I have good friends, and a lot of them.” I enjoy those little details that I know I will miss when I stop playing.”
Messi also responded to recent comments from his former PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who suggested the Euros were a more difficult tournament than the World Cup.
“Well, everyone prioritizes their tournament,” Messi said in response to the French forward’s remarks.