FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi has finally agreed to a new contract with Inter Miami, a deal that required several months to complete and ensures that the sport’s biggest icon will be with the Major League Soccer club for its planned move into a new stadium next year.

The deal was announced Thursday, one day before Inter Miami’s playoff opener against Nashville. Messi’s team — the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference — will play host to Game 1 of that best-of-three series on Friday night.

Terms were not immediately revealed, though Inter Miami had been pushing for a deal that would last into 2027 or 2028 — and the notion of Messi playing two or three more seasons would certainly serve as a boost to ticket sales at the stadium the team has been building near Miami International

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