Inter Miami will not be playing again this winter, while Barcelona fans have been dreaming of Lionel Messi’s return, even on loan. In an interview after winning his eighth Ballon d’Or, the Argentine talked about his future in football.

Lionel MessiPhoto: USA TODAY Network / ddp USA / Profimedia

>> Barcelona and PSG, different reactions after Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or

Lionel Messi has announced that he will no longer play football in Europe

Speaking to France Football, Messi said he does not think he will play in Europe for the rest of his career.

“Of course, all my life I will miss playing in the Champions League or La Liga, matches with a special flavor. But I enjoyed them as much as I could, so I’m not disappointed.

Thank God, I had a great career in Europe and won everything I dreamed of.

I feel good. I’ve always said that I don’t think about the future, I take everything one at a time. I don’t know how long I will play. I want to keep going until I feel like I can’t anymore, that my physical condition no longer allows me to play the way I want to.

Now that I’ve decided to come to the US, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to play in Europe” – Lionel Messi.

Know:

  • Messi’s contract with Inter Miami runs until the end of 2025.
  • Lionel Messi played 875 matches in Europe for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. He scored 710 goals in European Cups (129 in the Champions League).

Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time.

Lionel Messi was the backbone of Argentina’s national team, scoring 7 goals and providing 3 assists at the World Cup in Qatar.

In the 2022/23 season, the Argentine scored 20 goals and provided 20 assists for PSG in all competitions, winning the Ligue 1 championship and the French Cup.

He previously won the trophy for the best football player in the world in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021, followed by Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo who won the Ballon d’Or five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 , 2017).

Lionel Messi became the first player from a club outside of Europe to win the Ballon d’Or. One of the shareholders of Inter Miami, David Beckham, presented the prestigious trophy to Messi.

Ballon d’Or 2023, final rating

1. Lionel Messi – 462 points

2. Erling Haaland – 357

3. Kylian Mbappe – 270

4. Kevin De Bruyne – 100

5. Rhodri – 57

6. Vinicius Junior – 49

7. Julian Alvarez – 28

8. Viktor Osymen – 24 etc.

>> VIDEO. The football player was booed during the presentation of the award at the gala concert “Golden Ball-2023”