Argentina club Newell's Old Boys plans to rope in Lionel Messi

Argentina World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi’s boyhood club, Newell's Old Boys, is planning to rope in two-time MLS MVP home next year.

Argentina’s captain is a legend of the game of football. He won 10 LaLiga titles, four Champions League crowns and three Club World Cups in club football, all with Barcelona. Messi currently plays for Inter Miami after two years with Paris Saint-Germain.

He has also captained Argentina during a FIFA World Cup victory in 2022.

According to the team executive, the club is trying to persuade Messi to return to his boyhood side for the first half of 2027.

"It's a project that goes beyond Newell's. It involves the city of Rosario, the province, and Argentine football," first vice president Juan Manuel Medina said, according to an ESPN story published Wednesday.

Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, extended his contract with defending MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in October that will run through the end of 2028.

The former Barcelona player became the first player in MLS history to win back-to-back MVP awards.

Messi, 38, had represented Newell's youth teams from 1995 to 2000 before joining the FC Barcelona academy La Masia.

Inter Miami will start the 2026 MLS season on February 21 against Los Angeles FC.

Lionel Messi is also preparing to defend Argentina's World Cup title this summer in North America.

Messi is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He has a plethora of records to his name. Recently, while playing for Inter Miami, he recorded the 405th assist of his career, surpassing Pelé’s record assist tally.