Inter Miami, signed by Lionel Messi, will play a friendly match against the Argentinian’s childhood club, Newell’s Old Boys, AFP reports.

>> Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are rivals again – When will the five-star match take place

Inter Miami will play a friendly against Newell’s Old Boys, Lionel Messi’s first team

Inter Miami announced that the match will take place on February 15, 2024 at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Newell’s Old Boys are based in Rosario, Argentina, where Messi was born, raised and made his football debut before joining Spanish club Barcelona at the age of 13.

Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino is also a native of Rosario and played three times for Newells before returning to coach between 2012 and 2013.

“I’m excited to welcome my soul team, Newell’s, here in Miami. It will be a special match because of everything Newell’s Old Boys means to me. It will also be a good opportunity to prepare for what promises to be an exciting season,” Gerardo Martino.

The match is the latest in a busy pre-season calendar for Inter Miami, who will open their preparations with a match against El Salvador in the country’s capital on January 19.

Messi and his colleagues will then play two matches in Saudi Arabia, one of them against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese team Al-Nassr, and then go to Hong Kong and Tokyo, writes Agerpres.