3 min readAug 11, 2026 08:52 PM IST
Lionel Messi and Neymar Junior might be seen playing for the same club for the third time. According to a former Brazil international, Felipe Melo, a reunion could be on the cards at Inter Miami in January 2027, after Neymar’s current contract with Santos expires at the end of this year.
The pair have spent six seasons together — four at Barcelona and a couple at Paris Saint-Germain — and their seamless combination play has often proven to be poetry in motion for the fans. At Barcelona, they combined to score 299 goals across four seasons, while winning eight trophies, including the Spanish club’s last UEFA Champions League title. Three more titles were added at Paris Saint-Germain, where the pair scored a cumulative 63 goals in their two seasons together.
Having not signed any contract extension yet with Brazilian club Santos, Neymar is likely to explore options, the most attractive of which could be the club co-owned by David Beckham, Inter Miami. Melo, the former Canarinho defensive midfielder, revealed that Neymar will be headed to Major League Soccer next year.
“I talked to a friend of mine who passed me some news about Santos before. He told me Neymar is going to play in Miami. Starting in January, Neymar is going to Miami. If it happens, I was the first one to break the news here. Let’s wait and see what happens,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Neymar, meanwhile, announced his retirement from international football after Brazil’s Round of 16 elimination in the FIFA World Cup. As for his club future, he said in a video posted on his YouTube channel: “I’m not thinking about stopping, nor do I know how long I’ll carry on. I have a contract with Santos until December. I intend to see it through, to honour the Santos shirt as best I can, and then I’ll think about it when my contract ends — whether I stay at Santos, move on, stop playing or carry on. I really don’t know what I’m going to do. There’s still a long way to go until December, so let’s take it one step at a time.”
Since returning to Brazil after a wretched period in Saudi Arabia, Neymar has scored 19 goals in 47 appearances. He recently netted a brace against Chapecoense after the World Cup defeat to Norway. Messi, meanwhile, is reportedly set to take an indefinite break after the death of his father and agent, Jorge.