Lionel Messi is set to play against his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys after Argentina agreed to a pre-season friendly against Inter Miami in February.
The Major League Soccer team stated on Monday that on February 15, they will host Newell’s at their DRV PNK Stadium.
Newell’s is based in the city of Rosario, Argentina, where Messi was born and raised, where he played for their youth team before joining Spanish club Barcelona at the age of 13.
Inter coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino is also from the city and played for the club three times before taking over as manager in 2012.
“I am delighted to welcome my beloved Newell’s to our home here in Miami. It will be a special match due to everything Newell’s Old Boys means to me,” Martino said.
“It will also be a good opportunity to prepare for what will surely be an exciting season,” he added.
The match is the latest in a busy pre-season schedule for Miami, which will begin preparations on January 19 against the El Salvador national team in San Salvador.
Following that, the club will play two matches in Saudi Arabia, including one against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, before heading to Hong Kong and Tokyo.