Inter Miami’s pre-season hasn’t gone how David Beckham & Co. would have envisioned. With just a solitary victory and a whole lot of controversy, it hasn’t done their reputation much good. Lionel Messi even said, “I’m a little tired from this whole tour.” However, the final preseason game is set to be a special one for the Argentine, as he has a chance to line up against his boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys. And the chances might be good as per Tata Martino.

The Argentine coach positively nodded after being asked if the Inter Miami captain would start the game, in what looked like a curtain-raiser interview to inaugurate the homecoming. This is big news considering Lionel Messi’s injury struggles in pre-season. The 8x Ballon d’Or winner felt pain in the hamstring during the match against Al Hilal. This reduced his participation in the much-awaited ‘Last Dance’ to just 7 minutes. Moreover, his discomfort forced the upper management to avoid playing him against Hong Kong XI. However, that backfired, badly.

The MLS club marketed the match in the name of Messi. Hence, his no-show caused significant backlash and the match organizers even had to refund 50% of the ticket prices. Furthermore, there were even calls for the soccer icon to be banned from visiting Hong Kong ever again! However, normalcy was somewhat restored against Vissel Kobe as Lionel Messi played the last 30 minutes.

This raised hopes that the playmaker might start against his boyhood club. And it seems Martino has confirmed what fans have been waiting to hear. Speaking of Newell’s Old Boys, Messi’s stats for them are quite interesting. He netted a staggering 234 goals from 176 games! However, Messi is not the only Inter Miami man who is set for a reunion.

Lionel Messi and Tata Martino’s double reunion against Newell’s Old Boys

Soccer fans are quite familiar with Messi’s time with the club. He joined the club in 1995 before departing for Barcelona in 2000. However, Newell’s Old Boys had a key role in the career of Tata Martino, who played for them on 3 separate occasions. This also resulted in Martino becoming the most-capped player in the club’s history.

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Voted by fans as the greatest player in the club’s history, Martino led them to league victories in 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1992. He claimed another title, this time as a coach in 2013. The upcoming match would be equally special for Martino as it is for Lionel Messi. What’s your prediction about the special clash? Tell us in the comments below.

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