Will he return to where it all began? Trained at Newell’s Old Boys, where he spent six years between 1994 and 2000, Lionel Messi never closed the door to a return to Argentina, to the club in Rosario, his hometown, to finish his career.
If he recently extended his contract until 2028 with Inter Miami, the 38-year-old striker could return to his country before this deadline, according to the words of Juan Manuel Medina, the president of the legendary Argentine club. “We are working to have Leo play for Newell’s during the first half of 2027,” said the manager on the airwaves of TN, a local television channel. “But for now there is nothing more to say.”
“A project for the city of Rosario, the province and Argentine football”
A possible return of Messi to his land would logically go beyond the framework of football and would profoundly disrupt Argentine public life, which requires real preparatory work, absolutely not denied by Medina. “It’s a project that goes beyond Newell’s. It is 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,” he conceded.
If he did not confirm it, the deadline of the first half of 2027 was not targeted at random by the boss of Newell’s. Indeed, this date corresponds to the change in calendar that the MLS, the American league, will make from the 2027-2028 season. While it was traditionally played over the calendar year, the championship will now follow the European model, with a season running from August to May.
Towards a six-month loan?
In other words, the Argentine world champion will not have any matches to play with Inter Miami from January to August 2027. What is there to dream of a six-month loan, for example? It is still too early to say according to Juan Manuel Medina. “There were discussions, the idea was raised, but today no decision has been made,” he evaded during the interview.
As a reminder, the man with eight Golden Balls did all his classes in the red and black jersey, from 7 to 13 years old, before being spotted by FC Barcelona and writing his legend in Catalonia, without ever breaking the link with Rosario. “I always said that I wanted to play in Argentine football one day, I don’t know if it will happen but I have it in my head,” Messi told local TV channel El Trece in 2018. “I wouldn’t play anywhere else than at Newell’s in the country. I would like to do this for at least six months.” What if the planets finally aligned?
