Messi was with the club in Rosario, Argentina from age 6 to 13 before joining Barcelona's La Masia academy. Although the 38-year-old superstar never played a professional match for Newell’s first team, he scored 234 goals for their youth squads. In fact, a stand at the club’s home stadium, Estadio Marcelo Bielsa, is named after Messi.

Forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring for Inter Miami in a match against Seattle Sounders in MLS round 31 on 16/9/2025 at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Photo: AP

“We are working hard for Leo to wear the Newell’s jersey in the first half of 2027,” said club vice president Juan Manuel Medina to Argentine newspaper TN. He also confirmed that while no official decision or final agreement has been reached, the idea began to be implemented in 2024. Medina emphasized, “This is a project that goes beyond Newell’s. It is a strategy for the city of Rosario, for the province of Santa Fe, and for Argentine football. Everything depends on what we can provide in terms of infrastructure and a competitive sports project.”

The proposed timeline aligns with Messi’s current contract and Major League Soccer (MLS) schedule. Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 and signed a new contract last October, extending until 2028. The first half of 2027 is also when MLS is expected to organize a “transition season,” running from February to May, to synchronize its schedule with European national leagues. This means MLS 2027 will only begin in August, and Messi could find himself “idle” without any matches for Miami during the first half of 2027, creating a potential window for a temporary return.

The Argentina national team captain has often expressed a special affection for his hometown club. In 2017, he shared his desire to return to Newell's at some point in his career. “I have said many times that my dream is to play for Newell’s, but I don’t know what will happen. I hesitate partly because of the country’s current situation,” Messi once told Spanish newspaper Marca, referring to security issues and social instability in his homeland. He added, “I have a family, and my children are always the top priority. I want them to grow up in a peaceful place and have a safe life.” In 2018, on Argentine television channel El Trece, Messi reiterated this wish, stating, “If I return home, I will not play for any other team than Newell's; I want to do it for at least half a year.”

The star born in 1987 has always maintained a special connection with his former club. Most notably in 2020, just days after the passing of Diego Maradona, he intentionally revealed a Newell’s jersey while celebrating a goal for Barcelona against Osasuna in La Liga, as a tribute to the late legend.

Messi (circled in yellow) at age 8, in Newell’s Old Boys’ youth squad.

Since arriving in Miami in summer 2023, Messi has scored 77 goals in 88 matches. In the USA, he has led the pink-clad club to conquer the MLS Cup 2025, Supporters’ Shield 2024, and Leagues Cup 2023. After leaving his homeland in 2000, Messi lived for over two decades in Barcelona, where he won 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League trophies with Barcelona. Although there were frequent rumors of a return to Camp Nou, President Joan Laporta last November described this prospect as “unrealistic.”

As for Newell’s, the team is currently at the bottom of Group A in the Argentine national league after 3 matchdays of the 2026 season, having secured only one point. Last season, the team nicknamed “La Lepra” also finished at the bottom of the table. Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina. At the time of their triumph in Qatar, no player in “La Albiceleste’s” starting lineup played in the domestic league, after Enzo Fernandez moved from River Plate to Europe that summer.

Hoang Thong