Will Lionel Messi officially retire from professional football before December 31, 2026?

This market resolves based on official announcements regarding Lionel Messi’s retirement from professional football.

Resolution Basis:
Any official statement made by Lionel Messi or his professional club(s), confirming his retirement from professional football on or before December 31, 2026 (UTC+0).

Resolution Rules:
YES — If Lionel Messi officially announces retirement from professional football before the deadline
NO — If no such announcement is made before the deadline

How it is determined:
The retirement must be clearly and explicitly stated as retirement from professional football
The announcement must come from Lionel Messi himself or his professional club (e.g., Inter Miami or any future club)
Retirement from international football only (e.g., Argentina national team) does NOT count
Contract expiration, inactivity, or absence from matches does NOT count as retirement

Examples:
Messi announces “I am retiring from professional football” → YES
An official club statement confirms Messi’s retirement → YES
Messi retires only from Argentina national team → NO
Messi stops playing without an official retirement announcement → NO
No announcement before December 31, 2026 → NO

Important Notes:
Only official and explicit retirement announcements are valid
Rumors, speculation, or unverified reports do not count

Sources:
Official statement from Lionel Messi or his club will be the primary basis

Trusted sports media such as ESPN may be used to verify and confirm the official announcement
https://global.espn.com/