**Messi’s current three-year extension, signed in October 2025, runs through the 2028 MLS season and positions him to finish his playing career at age 41.** At 39 in September 2026, he remains productive—scoring regularly, contributing to Inter Miami’s Campeones Cup win, and earning Ballon d’Or shortlist consideration—while managing only minor muscular issues. However, recent signals point toward 2028 as a natural endpoint: he retired from Argentina duty after the 2026 World Cup, Inter Miami’s front office is already structuring sponsorships and partnerships (such as the Adidas deal through 2031) around a post-Messi on-field era, and Messi has publicly stated a preference for club ownership over coaching once his playing days end, with equity in Inter Miami tied to retirement. These elements, combined with the physical demands of MLS play into the early 40s and the absence of any reported extension talks, underpin traders’ 74.5% implied probability that no further playing contract will be signed.