Miami International s three-year contract renewal Messi: Double affirmation of popularity effect and economic returns, Messi "targets" the sixth World Cup

Written by/Han Bing After Ronaldo chose to renew his contract with Riyadh, he can be said to have continued to be deeply bound to Saudi football. So where is Messi's last choice? Recently, Argentina and North American media have given answers. Miami International has offered a sincere three-year contract extension. Messi will continue to work hard to lead Miami International to win the North American Major League and North American Champions League trophy, and this is also for him to maintain a good form before the 2026 North American World Cup. After leaving the five major European leagues in 2023, Messi and Ronaldo's "off-stop competition" in the two emerging markets will continue.

Argentina and the US media revealed that Miami International's contract renewal form is "2+1", and Messi can renew it for another year before the contract expires in 2027. The contract contains Messi's independent early termination clause, and you can choose to leave at the end of 2026 or 2027, and Miami International will not stop it. Messi can also choose to rent out in the short term, providing the possibility for Argentine superstars to play in a higher level league in the future or return to their parent team Newell Old Boys, and fulfilling their promise of "Leaves Return to the Roots".

To retain Messi, Miami International introduced his teammate De Paul in the Argentina national team. The key to renewal is that Messi hopes to win more trophies for the club while maintaining good shape for the 2026 North American World Cup.

Continuing to stay in North America to play football is the best choice for Messi to compete in the last World Cup in his life. After all, this will be the sixth World Cup he participated in, unprecedented. The Argentine superstar has no intention of retiring in the short term because Ronaldo has proven in Saudi Arabia that 40-year-old players can also deliver world-class performance. As long as Messi wants to continue playing, this three-year contract extension can continue to be extended. Like Ronaldo, Messi will join the Miami International Board of Directors after the contract expires because he also owns a small number of shares in the club and will become one of the club's owners in the future.

In 2026, Miami International will move to the newly built Liberty Park Stadium, which can accommodate 25,000 people, will be Miami International's permanent home court. Messi hopes to win more trophys for Miami International at the new stadium. Although he won the Eastern Conference regular season championship and rewarded the "Shield of Supporters" who won the best regular season results last year, and qualified to participate in this year's Club World Cup, he is not the real champion of the Major League Baseball Championship after all. Messi also wants to win the North American Champions League trophy before retirement, which will be his last goal in his career.

Miami International provides Messi with a valuable contract renewal, which is a full recognition of Messi's business value and popularity influence by North American capital. The business and popularity returns Messi brought to North American football have reached a height that neither the king of football in the 1970s nor Beckham in the early 21st century could reach. Before Messi joined in 2023, Miami's professional sports were mainly American football, basketball and baseball. But two years after he joined the team, this city, which had almost no football tradition, became the "City of Messi". Although Messi's annual salary ($20.4 million) ranks first in the North American Major League Baseball rankings in 2025, and even exceeds the entire team salary of many teams in the league, the economic returns he brings to the North American Major League Baseball are far better than that.

In 2022, before Messi joined, Miami International Club's annual revenue was only US$60 million, and in 2024 it reached US$224 million. This year, due to entering the top 16 of the Club World Cup, its annual revenue will double to US$450 million. The club market valuation surged 72% in the first year after Messi joined the club, rising to US$1.003 billion. In 2024 and 2025, valuations increased by 17% and 25% respectively. Messi also brought multinational group sponsors such as Apple and Adidas to the North American Major League, signing sponsorship contracts worth millions of dollars. The total market value of North American Major League clubs has also increased from 678 million in 2023 to 721 million in 2025 due to Messi's joining. The popularity effect brought by Messi is equally amazing: the team that played against Miami International earned an additional $84 million in box office last year, and the ticket price of Messi's appearance soared 17 times. The North American Major League has also benefited a lot from Messi's joining. Not only has the league's total revenue growth since 2023, but the game's ratings have increased by 40%. A total of 11.4 million spectators entered the game last year, setting a new record in North American professional football history. This year, this record is expected to be refreshed. Keeping Messi means growing business value for Miami International and even the North American League.

For Messi, renewal means that Miami will likely be the destination for the rest of his life. Messi's real estate investments began in Barcelona, and although there are luxury homes in Paris, Ibiza and his hometown of Newell, half are in Miami and Florida. It includes two luxury apartments in Porsche Design Building purchased in 2019, and the entire 9-story luxury apartment in Miami Royal Court Building in 2021 and three-story apartments in Trump Royal Building. In 2023, he purchased a $10.75 million Marina Estate in Fort Lauderdale, also of Florida. This spring, Messi bought another penthouse at the Chipriani Hotel in Miami.

Continuing to stay in Miami is Messi's dual choice for competitive life and future life.