Newell's Old Boys began working on the idea of ??making a return that would mark a milestone in Argentine football. The Rosario club, where Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer before moving to Europe, aims to have the Argentine national team captain wear the red and black jersey during the first half of 2027. This was confirmed on Tuesday by the club's vice president, Juan Manuel Medina, in statements to the local press. Get 20% off UEFA Champions League broadcasts in Spanish on DAZN. “We are working on having Leo play for Newell's in the first half of 2027, but for now there is nothing more than that,” Medina stated in an interview with the TN channel. The executive was cautious in describing the status of the negotiations, although he made it clear that it is a concrete and planned initiative, not simply wishful thinking. According to the vice president, the project goes beyond the club and requires the support of various stakeholders. “It’s a project that goes beyond Newell’s,” he noted, explaining that it also involves authorities from the city of Rosario, the province of Santa Fe, and Argentine football. The goal, he indicated, is to create a suitable environment for Messi’s potential return, both institutionally and on the field.

A project that goes beyond the club

Medina specified that the plan’s viability will depend on several key factors. “Everything depends on what we can offer in terms of infrastructure and a competitive sporting structure,” he stated. In that regard, he acknowledged that initial contact with the player’s representatives began in 2024, with the intention of exploring possible scenarios in the medium term.

Lionel Messi, who will turn 39 in July of this year, has a contract with Inter Miami until the end of the 2028 MLS season. The Argentine star arrived at the American club in mid-2023, from Paris Saint Germain, and since then he has become the main figure of the league, in addition to boosting the international visibility of the team and of soccer in the United States.The desire to see Messi playing in Argentine football has been a constant for years. Newell's Old Boys fans, in particular, dream of seeing him return to the club he was part of in his childhood, before leaving for FC Barcelona at just 13 years old. That early move to European football prevented the local public from enjoying him in the Argentine first division. Recent events further fuel this hope. In 2025, Argentine football celebrated the return of Angel Di Maria, another World Cup winner, who came back to Rosario to wear the jersey of Rosario Central, Newell's Old Boys' arch-rival. Since his return, Di Maria has had an immediate impact, with nine goals and three assists, and was part of the team that won the league title last November. This precedent reinforces the idea that the return of great players is possible. Newell's knows this and, cautiously, has begun to pave the way for Lionel Messi to finish his professional career at his boyhood club.