Did Inter Miami Just Reveal Lionel Messi’s Number? MLS side seems to be dropping a hint in their Happy Birthday post as the football superstar turns 36
- Lionel Messi is expected to play his first game for Inter Miami on July 21
- And the MLS team seemed to have said what his new jersey number will be
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Inter Miami appeared to be teasing Lionel Messi’s new squad number as they wished their incoming superstar a happy 36th birthday on Saturday.
The Major League Soccer team tagged Messi in an Instagram image that read “Feliz Complio” – Spanish for “happy birthday” with the number “10” instead of “io”.
Messi is, of course, synonymous with the number 10 shirt from his all-conquering, trophy-laden time at Barcelona and it’s also his number when he plays for Argentina.
However, at Paris Saint-Germain he had to wear No. 30 as his preferred No. 10 shirt had already been taken by Brazilian forward Neymar.
Fortunately, the number 10 shirt is currently vacant and Miami – it was last worn by Messi’s former Argentina teammate Gonzalo Higuain, who retired at the end of last season.
Inter Miami appeared to hint that Messi will wear No. 10 in their Happy Birthday post to him
Messi celebrated his 36th birthday with wife Antonella and sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro
Messi is synonymous with the No. 10 of his all-conquering time as a Barcelona player
There is no official confirmation of Messi’s squad number yet – indeed he has some minor details about his move before he is 100% an Inter Miami player, but that is expected to be a formality.
The team hopes he will make his debut for them on July 21 in the Leagues Cup competition, where they will face Mexican team Cruz Azul.
At the moment, Messi is on holiday with his family after finishing the 11-month season in Europe with PSG. That campaign, of course, was put on hold for a month in 2022 for the World Cup, where Messi led Argentina to victory.
His wife, Antonella, shared a photo of her with Messi and their three sons to celebrate his birthday. She wrote on Instagram “Congratulations my love, we love you infinitely.”
On Friday, Miami also announced the signing of Messi’s close friend and former Barcelona teammate, Spanish midfielder Serigo Busquets, another stunning move for both the team and MLS itself.
They announced the move with an identical graphic style that appears to show Messi’s new number.
The number Messi takes in Miami really matters as shirt sponsor Adidas contributes to the financial side of the deal.
Messi will take a share of the shirts sold with his name on them and AppleTV will also pay him for the TV subscriptions they sell from fans who pay to watch him.
At PSG, Messi had to wear the number 30 on his shirt because Neymar was already wearing the number 10 shirt
And reports emerged in Spain on Saturday that Miami are now turning their attention to a move for Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba in what would be another high-profile move.
But in the meantime, Miami needs to focus on getting better in the MLS.
The team is currently in last place in the Eastern Conference with a miserable 15 points from 17 games, eight behind the playoff spots.
They will play against the Philadelphia Union later on Saturday.