Lionel Messi Set for Emotional Return to Argentina for Career-First Milestone

The Argentine pulled down the curtain on his international career back in October.

Lionel Messi bid farewell to the Argentina national team in October. | Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images

Lionel Messi is set to make a must-see return to the Monumental next year as part of Inter Miami’s preseason tour, which will likely see the Herons take on River Plate in Buenos Aires.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner got a fairytale ending to his legendary career with Argentina back on Oct. 6. Messi donned La Albiceleste’s No. 10 for the final time in a farewell match against Benin that ended in a 3–0 win for the hosts.

Speeches, tears and an explosion of love from the home crowd followed. Messi, who tallied a goal and two assists on the night, said one final goodbye to Argentina after 208 appearances and 21 years representing his country.

But in just a few months, he could be back on the same stage, wearing a pink shirt this time around. Reports recently surfaced of a potential friendly between Inter Miami and River Plate, and now Herons boss Kily González asserted the match is “almost confirmed.”

It would bring Messi back to the iconic Monumental to play on home soil, in front of fans who likely thought they would never see him play in Argentina again.

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Potential Friendly Could Be a Career-First for Messi

Lionel Messi would receive a hero’s welcome at the Monumental. | Eston Parker/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Should Inter Miami indeed take on River Plate ahead of the 2027 MLS Sprint season, Messi will have another milestone ticked off his résumé. The Argentine has never played a senior club game in his native country.

Messi was just 13 years old when he left Argentina behind to join La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy. In the nearly four decades that followed, the forward represented the Catalans, Paris Saint-Germain and now Inter Miami.

There was never a chance for Messi to play a club game on home soil; in fact, he only ever faced off with two Argentinian sides—Estudiantes de La Plata and River Plate—in competitive games, and the matchups came in the 2009 and 2015 FIFA Club World Cup finals while Messi was still at Barcelona.

The all-time great also played against Boca Juniors in a preseason friendly with the Catalans, and then he took on boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in a preseason friendly while at Inter Miami.

None of the four matches unfolded in Argentina, which makes the premise of playing River Plate at the Monumental all the more special.

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Messi’s Focus Remains on 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs

Lionel Messi is hoping to add another MLS Cup to his cabinet. | Rich Storry/Getty Images

Before Messi can start dreaming of a return to Argentina, he first must keep focus on helping Inter Miami successfully defend their MLS Cup. The Herons finished the regular season second in the Eastern Conference standings, which pits them against seventh-place Columbus Crew in Round One.

Messi and Co. host the first game in the best-of-three series on Saturday, Nov. 21 before a trip to Ohio six days later for a potentially series-clinching match. Should both teams need a third game to decide the victor, the must-see clash will unfold back at Nu Stadium.

It’s a much tougher matchup for Inter Miami than it might look on paper. The Herons only just suffered a 2–1 defeat to the Crew back in September, and their meeting in August ended in a 2–2 draw. Not helping matters is the club’s poor form to close out the regular season; González’s men managed just one win in their final four games.

The postseason is a clean slate, though, and Messi now knows what it takes to claim MLS glory. Lifting silverware would be the perfect way to close out the year, and then playing in Argentina would be the perfect way to start 2027.

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