Messi heads to India, Inter Miami makes roster moves, Ian Fray signs new deal
Lionel Messi, having won an MLS Cup and two MVP trophies in the past week, is headed to India on Friday for a three-day, four-city G.O.A.T Tour during which he will mingle with Bollywood stars, participate in soccer clinics and attend the unveiling of a 70-foot statue of himself.
Traveling with Messi will be his teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, who are among his closest friends.
The tour will extend across Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, back at Inter Miami headquarters, club executives have been busy all week as they start to solidify the roster for the 2026 season. Training camp begins the second week of January. Plans for preseason matches in South America are being finalized (Colombia and Ecuador are reportedly on the itinerary), so there is not much time.
Inter Miami’s 2026 MLS season kicks off Feb. 21 on the road at Los Angeles FC. Miami will play five road games to start the season as its new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, is completed. The first MLS home game is Apr. 4 against Austin FC.
Miami has a bye to the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, which is Mar. 10-12 and Mar.17-19 against the winner of Nashville SC vs. Atletico Ottawa.
The club announced on Thursday that defender Ian Fray signed a new contract through the 2028-29 season. Terms were not disclosed, but it is a safe assumption that he got a substantial raise from the $150,000 he made this season.
The photo with the announcement showed Fray with a silver star above the jersey crest, symbolizing the team’s first league title.
Fray, 23, is a native of Coconut Creek and came up through Inter Miami’s youth academy. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons as he recovered from three knee surgeries and through resilience he emerged as a starter at right back on the championship team. He is among the players who do the most community service and is a fan favorite.
“To continue this journey here feels amazing, this club has put so much trust in me for the last five years I’ve been here,” Fray said. “Going through injuries, they kept their trust in me to sign a new contract and now we’ve won the MLS Cup, so I’m excited for next year. Coming from the academy, it means a lot to me, just to give more kids from here hope that they can make it to the first team and make it through to the next level. So, for me to sign another contract here, it’s exciting just to give more kids hope.”
Inter Miami confirmed the departure of four players: Fafa Picault, Marcelo Weigandt, Ryan Sailor and Will Yarbrough.
Picault’s and Yarbrough’s contract options were declined. Picault, a member of Haiti’s national team, will be looking to play significant minutes at his next club to earn a spot on the Haitian World Cup roster.
Sailor’s contract expired and Weigandt’s loan expired.
De Paul, who was on loan from Atletico Madrid, had his contract option exercised by Inter Miami, which was not a surprise, as he came to play alongside Messi with Inter Miami and for Argentina in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup.
Inter Miami players already under contract for 2026 are: Noah Allen, Tomas Aviles, Israel Boatwright, Yannick Bright, Maximiliano Falcon, Ian Fray, Tyler Hall, Gonzalo Luján, Messi, Santiago Morales, David Ruiz, Mateo Silvetti, Telasco Segovia, and Oscar Ustari
The Club is in ongoing negotiations with Allen Obando (loan expired), Rocco Rios Novo (loan expired), Suarez (out of contract), Baltasar Rodriguez (loan expired) and Tadeo Allende (loan expired). A club source said a deal with Allende was imminent.
Team managing owner Jorge Mas said the club already is in talks with players to replace retired Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
“We already have replacements, not just in mind, but in negotiations, we have the opportunity with one open DP slot to add someone, and our goal for this club for ‘26 is the win the [Concacaf] Champions Cup and I want to go with a supercharged 11.”