 "Lionel Messi's son Thiago in action for Inter Miami U-13 in the Newell's Cup in Rosario, Argentina. AP")
Lionel Messi’s eldest son Thiago has decided to follow his father’s footsteps and made his football debut in Rosario, the Argentine legend’s home town, earlier this week. Thiago wore Messi Sr’s iconic No 10 jersey as he represented Inter Miami’s U-13 team in the ‘Newell’s Cup’ tournament in Rosario, making first appearance on the pitch during the match against Newell’s Old Boys, Lionel’s childhood club, on Monday.
Thiago was later substituted in the second half by Benjamín Suárez, son of Uruguayan striker and Lionel’s close friend Luis Suarez, his former teammate at FC Barcelona who currently plays alongside him at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS).
While Lionel himself was not in attendance for his son’s on-field debut, his wife Antonella Roccuzzo was present in the stands at the Jorge B Griffa Sports Complex to cheer for Thiago, as were his parents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini.
Miami, though, ended up losing to Newell’s Old Boys 1-0.
The Newell’s Cup, which features eight clubs from North and South American compete across five days, enters its 10th edition this year.
Lionel had spent five years at the academy of Newell’s Old Boys before joining Barca’s famous La Masia academy at the age of 13.
The iconic forward would then represent the Catalan giants for a majority of his senior career, before bidding an emotional goodbye at the end of the 2020-21 season, helping them win the LaLiga 11 times and the Copa Del Rey seven times.
The 37-year-old would also help Barcelona win the UEFA Champions League four times.
After a two-year stint with PSG, Messi would head to the United States where he would sign with Inter Miami, a club co-owned by English football legend David Beckham.
His arrival would result in a transformation of the club’s fortunes, with Miami topping the Eastern Conference in the 2024 season and storming into the playoffs as a result.
Messi had fulfilled his lifelong dream of helping Argentina win the FIFA World Cup in the 2022 edition in Qatar, with La Albiceleste defeating France on penalties in a thrilling final at the Lusail Stadium.