Lionel Messi's sons star for Inter Miami academy as ex-Barcelona star prepares for MLS bow

 The Messi family trophy cabinet has grown once again, this time though it wasn’t Argentina legend Lionel who was responsible. The latest silverware additions come thanks to his three sons, Thiago, Matteo, and Ciro, who were all recently in action for Inter Miami’s youth teams.

The youngsters, aged 11, eight, and six respectively, each won their age group’s category at the Weston Cup & Showcase in Florida. Following the tournament, Lionel and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo posed for a celebratory family snap, which she captioned “Campeones por tres! (Champions for three!)” on Instagram.

Another famous face celebrating on Monday was another Miami and former Barcelona star, Luis Suarez whose son Benjamin is currently teammates with Thiago in Miami’s Under-13s.'

The elder Messi and Suarez will return to competitive action in the CONCACAF Champions Cup First Round on Wednesday when they take on Sporting Kansas City at a brisk Children’s Mercy Park. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the game was recently postponed due to inclement weather in Kansas.

With up to six inches of snow forecast, wind chill is expected to reach as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday. And while Wednesday evening should remain clear of snow, players will still have to deal with bitterly cold weather with wind chill expected to hit around -10.

Despite concerns that Messi did not wish to take to the field in Kansas City due to the cold, head coach Javier Mascherano has confirmed that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will play. “Messi is 100 percent available. I can assure that he will play,” he said, via Franco Panizo.

Miami will then have just three days to rest up before returning to action, this time at Chase Stadium when they host New York City FC in their MLS regular season opener. Originally scheduled for 2:30pm ET, this too has been rescheduled to allow for more time between games, and will now kick off at 7:30pm ET.

While led by Messi, Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, Miami will field a largely new-look side this season, following a hectic period in the transfer window. To date, they have completed the signings of Venezuela international Telasco Segovia, Paraguay international David Martinez, former Uraguay youth international Maximiliano Falcon, and Argentinian youth international Rocco Rios Novo among others.

They will be looking to improve upon their disappointing 2024 season which, while it saw them win the Eastern Conference, abruptly ended in the playoffs when they fell to Atlanta United in the First Round. As such, Miami’s hunt for its first MLS Cup win remains ongoing.

For Miami, 2025 could prove an all-or-nothing season. Not only has the front office worked hard to improve the roster, but Messi, Suarez, Alba, and Busquets are all out of contract after this season - although Messi has an option to extend his stay by another year. Whether or not this option will be exercised remains to be seen, with the World Cup champion keen on a Barcelona return, according to David Beckham.