Lionel Messi is anticipated to start against Newell’s Old Boys, his childhood team, following the Argentine team’s February agreement to play a preseason friendly at Inter Miami.
The Major League Soccer team declared on Monday that on February 15, they would welcome Newell’s to their DRV PNK Stadium.
Based in Rosario, the city where Messi was born and raised, Newell’s played for their youth squad until he was thirteen and moved to the Spanish club Barcelona.
Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, the inter coach, is also from the city. He was a player for the team for three stints before taking over as coach in 2012.
Messi in Buenos Aires, 2019, posing with members of the Newell’s board. Newell’s Old Boys in picture
“I’m thrilled to have my dear Newell’s visit our Miami home. Because of everything that Newell’s Old Boys means to me, this will be a unique match, Martino declared.
“It will also be a good opportunity to prepare for what will surely be an exciting season,” he stated.
The match is the most recent of a packed preseason program for Miami, which begins on January 19 in San Salvador against the national team of El Salvador.
After that, the team will go to Saudi Arabia for two matches, where they will face Al Nassr, the team of Cristiano Ronaldo, before playing in Tokyo and Hong Kong.