Messi drops HUGE retirement hint amid 'fear' over end of career

Lionel Messi drops HUGE retirement hint as Inter Miami superstar admits he 'fears' football career coming to an end

Posted Thursday, June 13, 2024 by Goal.com

WHAT HAPPENED?

Argentine World Cup winner Messi has opened up on his fears on life after football. The former Barcelona star turns 37 later this month and his contract at Miami expires at the end of 2025. Even though the ex-Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona man is still one of the best players in the world, he knows he is inching closer towards retirement.

WHAT LIONEL MESSI SAID

He told ESPN Argentina: "I'm not prepared to leave football, I did this all my life, I enjoy the trainings, the games. The fear that everything's is going to be over, it's always there. I think Inter Miami is going to be my last club."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi has won practically everything there is to win in football. Champions Leagues, league titles, a World Cup, a Copa America and countless Ballon d'Or trophies, too. He will go down as one of the greatest players of all time - perhaps the greatest - and while he is an inspiration to millions, the Argentinian legend is just as human as the rest of us and he is not immune to having fears and doubts about the future.

WHAT NEXT?

Messi, who is set to represent Argentina at this summer's Copa America tournament, will have a decision to make about his footballing future. He still has 18 months left on his contract at Miami, where he will be 38 at the end of it, but whether he chooses to extend his stay at the Major League Soccer team remains to be seen.