- Lionel Messi is making the most of some much-needed time away from soccer
- The Inter Miami was out for dinner with some close friends on Friday night
Lionel Messi headed out for dinner on Friday night in Miami with his stunning wife Antonela Roccuzzo and close friend Sergio Busquets and his partner, Elena Galera.
The Inter Miami soccer star chose the luxury Asian restaurant Sexy Fish for the occasion, spending around two hours at the venue with his teammate and his sister Maria, who turned 29 this week.
Antonela looked stunning in a revealing black dress while Messi was dressed in black jacket and jeans with white trainers.
Messi, who this time last year was competing in the World Cup for Argentina – they would go on to win the tournament – is enjoying some much-needed downtime after an almost relentless soccer calendar in the last year.
He had a short break between leaving Paris Saint-Germain and joining Inter Miami at the beginning of July but needed his MLS team to manage his workload in the latter months of the season.
Lionel Messi headed out for dinner in Miami on Friday night as he enjoys time off from soccer
Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzoi, wowed as she appeared in a revealing black dress
They were with Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets and his wife Elena Galera (pictured)
Roccuzzo (left) pictured leaving the restaurant in downtown Miami on Friday night
He recently played in two World Cup qualifiers for Argentina against Uruguay and Brazil but is now off until the new year.
Messi, 36, had an electrifying impact on soccer in the United States in the first few months of his time in Miami with stars such as Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and LeBron James going to watch him play for David Beckham’s MLS team.
He scored 11 goals in just 14 games for his new team, leading them to Leagues Cup glory in the process when they beat Nashville on penalties in August.
Miami also reached the final of the US Open Cup but were beaten by Houston Dynamo – Messi missed that game injured as the minutes on the field caught up with him.
Miami failed to qualify for the MLS playoffs due to a disastrous start to the season under Phil Neville, who was replaced as Miami by coach by Tata Martino shortly before Messi arrived.
Messi controversially described MLS as ‘a minor league’ in an interview this week in Argentina, despite his deal with Miami – worth up to $60million a season – potentially stretching for three years.
He made the remark when answering if he will still play for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, when he is 39, which is hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Messi told Star+: ‘I said it several times and it is a reality – I will always try to compete to the maximum and I am the first to know when I can be there and when I can’t.
There was, as always, plenty of attention on Messi as he headed out for the evening
The World Cup winner waved to fans as he drove slowly through the streets of Miami
Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets pictured arriving for the meal with wife Elena
Messi and Antonela spent around two hours at the venue before heading home on Friday
‘I am also aware that I went to a minor league, but a lot happens because of the way one faces it and competes.’
Messi said that he is targeting playing in next summer’s Copa America for Argentina, which is also held in the US.
‘As long as I feel that I’m fine and I can continue contributing, I’m going to do it,’ Messi said.
‘Today the only thing I think about is getting to the Copa América well and being able to compete in it . Fighting it again like we always did, trying to be champions.’
