Is Lionel Messi playing today? Inter Miami face Newell's Old Boys in final friendly of 2024 preseason
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami play their final preseason game ahead of their MLS opener against Real Salt Lake next week.
Inter's preseason tour saw them travel over 23,000 miles after playing in El Salvador, Hong Kong, Japan, and Saudi Arabia before finishing the trip domestically.
The game on Thursday evening is set to pull on the heartstrings of those closest to Messi. He's a lifelong supporter of Newell’s as he joined the club’s academy at just six years old before FC Barcelona brought him over to Spain in 2000.
The Sporting News takes a look at Inter Miami's preseason and whether Messi will play this evening.
See Inter Miami's full 2024 schedule here
Good news for those heading to the friendly against Newell's Old Boys or planning to watch from home. Lionel Messi is starting against his boyhood club this evening.
That has been confirmed by Miami's head coach Tata Martino in his latest press conference.
“For us, it’s important for him to get in as many minutes as possible ahead of the beginning of the league.
"So I’m able to confirm thathe’ll start, because it’s what we’re trying to do in order to get him in the best shape possible before the 21st.”
There's even speculation that he could potentially put a Newell's Old Boys kit on for a few minutes to play for his boyhood club, but that's not been confirmed by any reliable source. It seems the speculation brewed from comments made by Newell's forward Ever Banega who simply said it would be nice to see happen if it did come to pass.
Lionel Messi is set to return to Inter Miami's starting lineup for its final preseason game against his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys on Thursday, Tata Martino confirmed
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