Lionel Messi's son, Mateo, achieved further success in his budding football career by leading Inter Miami Academy to the Naples Cup title.
NEW DELHI — Lionel Messi's son, Mateo, achieved further success in his budding football career by leading Inter Miami Academy to the Naples Cup title.
Mateo, the second son of legendary footballer Messi, captained the Miami Academy to victory in the Naples Cup, marking a glorious result in his career. The soon-to-be 11-year-old Mateo continues to follow in his father's footsteps, who is a 2022 World Cup winner.
Mateo's achievement was hailed by several fans on social media, who took note of the youngster's feat. In a video shared by the Spanish journal Marca, Mateo was seen posing with the trophy for the cameras, all smiles. He held the Copa Naples trophy, with 'champion' inscribed on it.
Messi has three sons, with Mateo being the second. He will be celebrating his 11th birthday on September 11. The football legend has two more sons, Thiago and Ciro. Thiago is the eldest, currently 13 years old. Ciro is the youngest of the three and is currently eight years old.
Messi recently confirmed his international retirement, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious 21-year career with Argentina. He shared a statement in which he said he felt "hurt" by the decision but that he has "nothing left to give".
"Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team," Messi wrote in his statement.
"I've given it my all, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some really great young players coming through behind me who deserve their chance," he added.
Messi said he wrote his retirement message on July 21, two days after his side lost to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. The Argentine icon ended his long wait for a World Cup when he led the La Albiceleste to the title in 2022.
He also said he would miss the fans on the pitch. "Thank you for all the love over the past 20 years," he said in his message to the supporters.
"I'm going to miss hearing you from the pitch so much. Now I'll be just one of you, always cheering and supporting from the sidelines. I'm leaving with the peace of mind and pride of having given you, together with my teammates, moments we'd only dreamed of. It was incredible to have experienced this with you all. I love you!" Messi further wrote.