MLS
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi discusses retirement plans: how long will he keep playing in MLS?
In an interview with AppleTV, former Barcelona star Messi also reveals why he decided to move to David Beckham’s Herons and the United States.
Lionel Messi has wasted absolutely no time in making his mark at Inter Miami, with The Herons defeating Nashville SC their first ever trophy, the 2023 Leagues Cup, just over a month after he made his debut. The Argentina captain sat down with AppleTV to discuss a number of topics, including his retirement plans and just how much his family are enjoying their new life in Florida.
When will Messi retire from soccer?
The former Barcelona star was asked whether he was contemplating following in David Beckham’s footsteps and would like to be involved in the running of a club: “I’ve not thought about it yet, if I’m honest. I like playing, I enjoy being out there on the field with the ball, competing and training. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to play, but I think I’ll try to play for as long as I can”.
“I think there’s time to think about the future later, to analyse things and decide what to do. At the moment, the most important thing is to enjoy the time I have left playing, however long it is. It could be a long time or not. I want to enjoy myself as much as possible, like I’m doing right now. I want to enjoy every moment, especially as it only happens once. I don’t want to have any regrets”.
Miami: like Barcelona, not Paris
The 2022 World Cup-winning captain says family happiness was one of the main reasons he and the rest of the Messi clan decided to make the move to Florida: “We had had two difficult years in Paris. Things weren’t great for us, it was tough. We want to go back to how things were when we were living in Barcelona, enjoying everyday life and making sure the children and the family were happy”.
“I wanted to enjoy playing soccer every day, which wasn’t happening. For different reasons, we decided this was the best place for us and I think, after spending some time here, we made the right call. This was the right place”.
“My happiness has always been linked to playing soccer and being able to have fun. And I can keep doing that here, which was one of the reasons why we decided to come. I wanted to rediscover the feeling of enjoyment that I’d lost. Going away with the national team gave me some of my best moments because I enjoyed where I was and who I was with. I want to come here to find the same thing and, thankfully, I’ve found it”.