Like father, like son! Thiago Messi joins Inter Miami academy ranks following dad Lionel’s stunning move to the United States

The youngster was not attached to any other club, so he is free to take on an exciting new challenge of his own. His dad has certainly been catching the eye since moving his family to Florida, with 11 goals recorded by the Argentine superstar through nine straight victories.

Thiago, who turns 11 on November 2, is now in America alongside his two brothers Mateo and Ciro. The entire Messi clan – including Antonela Roccuzzo – have been regulars at Inter Miami games over recent weeks, allowing them to take in Leagues Cup, U.S. Open Cup and MLS triumphs.

Thiago will be looking to make his way through the youth system in Fort Lauderdale, with the sons of David Beckham and Phil Neville – Romeo (who is now at Brentford) and Harvey – earning contracts with Inter Miami.

Inter Miami have given no fanfare to acquiring Thiago Messi, but they are rightly proud of their efforts when it comes to producing home-grown stars. Academy director Victor Pastora has told the club’s official website: “We look forward to another great season after a highly successful 2022-23 season. Our Academy program potential and success was best reflected by the contribution of our 6 academy homegrowns in our first team, the 15 academy players that have been part of our MLS NEXT Pro this season, and the 20 academy payers called up to Youth National teams. We want to give a warm welcome to our competitive players, their dedicated parents, and our hard-working staff. Our academy program was established to give talented South Florida players the opportunity to achieve their dreams. We show our appreciation for this privilege, by giving our best effort to make the most of each day. We will continue to grow our partner club’s collaboration and will work to establish a relationship with every youth program in South Florida. We thank our owners and sporting director for their constant support and commitment to providing a great platform for us to achieve our dreams.”