Lionel Messi is expected to follow in Neymar’s footsteps and return to his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys after finishing his MLS career with Inter Miami.

Neymar has returned to Brazil to play for his boyhood club Santos after a forgettable spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal. The striker is working to regain form and fitness after a long injury spell in the Middle East. He has just been called up to the Brazil squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina. Santos president Marcelo Teixeiro has also expressed hope that Neymar will stay with the club until at least the 2026 World Cup.

Now, Messi is expected to follow in Neymar’s footsteps and return to his homeland to play out the final stages of his career before hanging up his boots. Former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Messi could be tempted to return to Argentina, where he started his career at Newell’s Old Boys. However, Petit predicts another legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, will continue to play for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Sharing with CasinoAppsThatPayRealMoney.com , Petit commented: “If there is a final destination for Lionel Messi, it will probably be returning to Argentina to close his career. Look at Neymar, he is resurrecting strongly when returning to Brazil, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. However, Messi looks very happy in Miami, enjoying life in the sunshine and is the brightest star in MLS at the age of 37. As for Ronaldo, I don’t think he will leave. At 40, he has a huge contract in Saudi Arabia. Not only money, he is also the number one star there and will probably be happy to end his career at Al-Nassr. “

Messi’s current contract with Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2025 MLS season, with an option to extend until 2026. In the meantime, Inter Miami will continue their Concacaf Champions Cup campaign with the return leg against Cavaliers on March 14. However, Messi’s availability remains a big question mark after he missed several recent matches due to fitness issues.