Lionel Messi's Next Club Odds Ireland 2025

If you are a footballing romanticist, the idea of Messi returning to Barcelona will likely give you a warm glow, and the bookmakers seem to agree with the sentiment. It was widely expected that the Argentinian would finish his career as a one club man - with perhaps the exception of one final year as a veteran elsewhere - but his 21-year stay at the club came to a rather abrupt end in 2021 due to Barcelona’s ongoing financial issues. 

Messi certainly isn’t the power he once was, though there is an element of unfinished business here, particularly as he was unable to play a final game in front of a crowd before leaving. Barca aren’t completely out of the woods in terms of their ability to sign players, though there is certainly a serendipity about the Argentinian returning for a short stint in January 2026, particularly if the rebuilt Nou Camp is ready for re-launch. 

Messi returning to Spain would create headlines worldwide and William Hill certainly feel it’s possible, seeing as the Catalan club are the 9/2 favourites to seal his services should he choose to move on from the MLS. 

A running theme with these clubs is a mixture of romanticism and unfinished business, and a transfer to Newell’s Old Boys would certainly fall into the realm of the former. Messi is a lifelong supporter of the Rosario club having grown up in the city and he spent around six years on their books as a child, scoring hundreds of goals in the process. 

It’s long been hinted that Messi could choose to play the final year of his career in his home country and this could be the perfect opportunity for the 38-year-old, particularly when you note that he is famously family-orientated. He certainly doesn’t need a big-money contract at this stage of his career, and the pull of helping to secure a first title since 2013 for his boyhood club may prove too much of a pull to resist. A potential return to Argentina is very much on the radar of betting sites, with Newell’s Old Boys being the 13/2 second favourites with William Hill at the time of writing to pull off a monumental coup.

You have to have been living under a rock to have missed the emergence of Saudi Arabian football over the last couple of years, so it’s no surprise to see the Pro League clubs feature prominently in this market. 

There isn’t an ageing footballer who hasn’t been linked with the big-spending Saudis of late, and with Messi’s long time rival Cristiano Ronaldo already at Saudi side Al-Nassr, there would be a lot of sense around such a move. Reigniting the rivalry between the two from their days at Barcelona and Real Madrid would be a PR’s dream, though there is also the option to create the ultimate team-up. The monetary benefits of heading to the Middle East are pretty obvious for Messi and there is already a longstanding relationship there, with the Argentine serving as a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia since 2022. There could therefore be plenty of weight around the reports that Al Ahli have launched an ambitious bid to get their man and bearing in mind that there are 18 sides in the Pro League, taking the 15/2 about Messi heading over there could offer a touch of value. 

It’s interesting to see German giants Bayern Munich sit as the fourth favourites in this market at the time of writing, as there’s very little to link them with Lionel Messi at the moment. Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in Europe and is well known for targeting at least one marquee signing each season, having secured the services of England forward Harry Kane from Tottenham back in 2023. Signing an ageing striker in Messi would make little sense at first glance, though he would offer plenty of experience that could potentially fill a void being left by the departing club legend, Thomas Muller. Bayern would struggle to match the financial clout of the Saudi clubs, but there would be plenty of commercial sense to this move. On top of this, it’s worth remembering that we are heading into a World Cup year in 2026 and the lure of tuning himself up with European football may be a tempting one - meaning the 8/1 on offer may be worth a look.

The most rogue option on this list for Messi is almost certainly the current European champions, though heading here would certainly qualify as unfinished business.

Despite winning two league titles, Messi endured a fairly unhappy two-year stay with the French giants after leaving Barcelona in 2021, recording a goal tally of 22 goals in 58 league games that falls a long way below his sky-high standards. PSG failed to progress past the last-16 of the Champions League in two attempts with Messi in their ranks and the fact that he has openly talked about his unhappiness in the French capital means that this move feels unlikely. Add in the fact that Paris has since achieved European glory by ditching their method of signing high-profile players and the 10/1 on offer for a redemption tour seems far too short.