Messi confirms he will not leave Inter Miami on loan

Expressing a desire to spend the holidays at home with family, Inter Miami's Lionel Messi confirmed earlier reports that he will not go out on loan this winter to an overseas club.

It has been a whirlwind calendar year for Messi, who started last season at Paris Saint-Germain in August 2022 and helped the club claim a Ligue 1 title before taking two months off and then arriving in the United States for his MLS debut in August.

Messi has one goal and two assists in five MLS regular-season matches (three starts) since joining Miami. In 13 games across all competitions for the club, Messi has 11 goals and eight assists.

Reported rumors had Messi possibly headed to the Saudi Pro League this winter or a potential return to his former club, FC Barcelona. Now, the only club match Messi has on his mind in the foreseeable future is Inter Miami's season finale Saturday against Charlotte FC.

"I will train, I will play our upcoming match and I will try to get here (to the national team) in the best possible way for November," Messi said in Spanish while on the field after Argentina defeated Peru 2-0 on Tuesday. "After that, I will enjoy the holidays in Argentina. It's the first time that I am going to have more days off in December, with the holidays, with peace of mind, with my people.

"In January, I will return (to Miami) again to do preseason, start from scratch and prepare as best as possible as always."

In November, defending World Cup champion Argentina has a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil. Had Inter Miami made the playoffs, Messi could have been faced with continued tight scheduling if the club had been able to make a run to the MLS Cup final.

"It's a shame," Messi said about Miami not making the playoffs despite his best effort. "We came very close. I missed the last few games. We had several injuries. The month of July was very hard for us. We played every three days, we traveled. But we won a tournament, which is important for the club and for what is coming next year."