Forward of the MLS club Inter Miami and the Argentine national football team Lionel Messi outright refused to consider a coaching role after ending his professional career.
ESPN quotes the 36-year-old forward as saying:
I always said that I don’t see myself as a coach, I wouldn’t like to be. But well, football and life take so many turns that you never know.
Messi, the 2022 World Cup champion, 2008 Olympic champion and winner of four Ballon d'Or awards, joined the Florida-based club in June 2023. In the 2024 season, the star Argentine played 12 championship matches, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists.
Messi's contract with Inter Miami expires at the end of December 2025, and according to Transfermarkt data, his market value is estimated at 30 million euros. On June 12, Messi declared that the "Herons" will be his final club in his career.
Portuguese football manager Jose Mourinho, who took over the Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe, stated in an interview with Eurosport that the "little guy" (referring to Messi) is, in his opinion, the best player of his generation.