Thiago Messithe eldest son of the Argentine star, has debuted in the ‘Newell’s Cup’ tournament in the rural city of Rosario. Messi, 12 years old, played with the number 10 shirt of a youth team of the Inter Miamiwho lost 1-0 to Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition.
The team also played on Tuesday. Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentine club of Rosario, 300 kilometers northwest of the capital Buenos Aires. Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamín Suárez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez, Messi’s teammate and close friend at FC Barcelona and now at Inter Miami.
Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend. Messi and Suárez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday they watched a friendly match between Inter Miami’s U13 team and Unión at the same sports complex. Argentina’s youth tournament brings together eight teams from North and South America.