Messi reveals his options after retirement

Argentine magician Lionel Messi said that he would prefer to become a sports club owner rather than a coach when he retires from playing.

The 38-year-old Messi told Lozo TV in an interview that was recorded last month and broadcast late Tuesday evening: “I don’t see myself as a coach. I love management, but if I had to choose between three options, I would choose to be the owner of a sports club.”

He added: “I want to own my own club, so I can develop it, start from scratch, give young players and fans the opportunity to grow and develop, and make it a prestigious club. If I had to choose, this is what I like best.”

Messi, who led the Argentine national team to win the World Cup title in Qatar in 2022, already owns a stake in Deportivo LSM, one of the fourth-tier clubs in Uruguay, which is also owned by Uruguayan Luis Suarez, his teammate in the American team Inter Miami. Which he signed last October, Messi signed a new contract with Inter Miami for three years, extending until 2028.

“Deportivo LSM is a family dream that started in 2018,” Suarez, the club’s founder, said in a video posted last May with Messi. “We have achieved great growth, with the number of our members exceeding 3,000. I want to give Uruguayan football, the country I love and where I grew up, opportunities and tools for teenagers and children to grow and develop.”

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi’s contract includes a future minority ownership stake in Inter Miami.

Messi won the Major League Soccer Golden Boot award this season after scoring 29 goals, five goals ahead of Dennis Bwanga, the Los Angeles FC player, and Sam Surridge, the Nashville player.

He also made 19 assists, and his total scoring contributions reached 48, just one goal short of equaling the league record set by Carlos Vela in 2019.

It is noteworthy that Messi also became the first player to win the best player award in the American Football League for two consecutive years.