BUENOS AIRES – Lionel Messi would prefer to become a club owner rather than a coach when he retires as a player, the Argentine footballer has said.
In October, he signed a three-year contract with Inter Miami that will extend him until the 2028 season.
“I don’t consider myself a coach,” Messi, 38, told streaming channel Luzu TV in an interview recorded in December and aired on Tuesday. “I like management, but if I had to choose one of the three, I would like to become the owner.
“I would like to have my own club, be able to develop it, start from the bottom and be able to give children, people the opportunity to grow up and make it an important club. If I had to choose, this is what would attract me most.”
Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar in 2022, is already a co-owner of Uruguayan fourth-division side Deportivo LSM, which is co-owned by Inter teammate Luis Suarez.
Deportivo LS is a family dream that started in 2018. We have grown significantly, with over 3,000 members,” club founder Suarez said last May in a video alongside Messi. “I want to offer Uruguayan football, the place I love and where I grew up as a child, opportunities and tools for teenagers and children to grow.”
Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi also has a future minority stake in Inter included in his contract.
Messi won the MLS Golden Boot this season with 29 goals, five more than LAFC's Denis Bouanga and Nashville's Sam Surridge. He also has 19 assists and his 48 goals are just shy of the league record set by Carlos Vela in 2019.
Messi also became the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards in MLS history.
