Lionel Messi

Plus, some teams find value in MLS Next Pro call-ups

In many ways, Diego Chara’s Saturday evening was the same as so many have been for the past 13 years: Head to the stadium and lace em’ up for another game with the Portland Timbers, where he’s a club legend. Taking his familiar spot in central midfield on Saturday, Chara moved, tackled and smiled the same way at 38 years old that he did as the 25-year-old that debuted in MLS in 2011. Only two things were out of the ordinary: For one, he got a red card — somehow only his ninth across all competitions for Portland in 13 years despite someone constantly getting stuck into tackles. For...

Reigning Ballon d'Or winner Messi has tried to score from a corner many times - West Ham's James Ward-Prowse showed him how it's done

Messi sustained a hamstring injury in Inter Miami’s 3-1 victory over Nashville in a CONCACAF Champions Cup game in March.

Lionel Messi says he will call time on his football career when he no longer enjoys playing. Messi, 36, has a contract with Inter Miami — for whom he has scored 16 goals in 19 first-team appearances since his move from Paris Saint-Germain a year ago — through to the end of 2025. “I know that as soon as I believe that I can no longer perform, or no longer enjoy the game, or not able to help my team-mates, then I will stop,” Messi told the podcast Big Time, which was broadcast on Saudi Arabian TV this week. “I am really self-critical; I know when I am good and when I am...

Adidas will soon announce that Lionel Messi’s shirt was “their number one jersey of any sport,” MLS commissioner Don Garber told The Athletic. Adidas has not responded to questions about Garber’s comments, or indicated whether the top jersey was Messi’s Argentina or Inter Miami shirt, as the brand produces both kits. Last September, MLS announced that Messi’s Miami shirt was the league’s best-seller of 2023, even though he had only signed with Miami three months earlier at that point. In October, the New York Times reported that Adidas had nearly 500,000 requests from...

Despite his close relationship with U-23 head coach Javier Mascherano, Messi probably won't join Argentina in Paris.

Inter Miami will next travel to Los Angeles for a Sunday night matchup against the Galaxy.

Executive producer describes what it's like to capture Messi's life on film.

Will Inter Miami make the postseason? Is this the year Thiago Almada breaks the MLS transfer record?

Here's what happens when you cross paths with Lionel Messi in Miami

Both Swift and Messi will be visible during the Super Bowl after a year in which they each made their mark on American sports

Lionel Messi’s absence from Inter Miami’s friendly in Hong Kong on Sunday has been labelled a “deliberate and calculated snub” after he played in Japan three days later. Messi remained on the bench for Miami during their 4-1 victory over a Hong Kong XI, with coach Tata Martino later explaining it was due to an ongoing injury for his star player. The Hong Kong government said it was “extremely disappointed” by Messi’s absence and demanded an explanation from event organisers with the situation only escalating further when the 36-year-old did feature...

Inter Miami’s upcoming friendly against J-League champions Vissel Kobe in Japan on Wednesday will not stream on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, as originally announced. The match was recently removed from the platform. Apple had broadcasted Inter Miami’s previous friendlies against Saudi Pro League sides Al Hilal and Al Nassr as well as a squad of Hong Kong all-stars on Sunday. Confusion led to speculation that the match against Vissel Kobe had been canceled, however, the game will go on as scheduled without a world broadcast feed. When reached for comment, MLS provided The Athletic with the...

Some of the biggest names in football will see their contracts run out next year - here's how it could affect their futures

The MLS side's unprecedented preseason world tour has presented new sporting challenges - even as it succeeds in spreading the brand

The most memorable meetings between the two most important footballers of the 21st century

Suarez knows how to play alongside Messi, Alba and Busquets, giving the reunion in Miami a head start on MLS success.