The participation of the Newell’s Old Boys‘U20s in the Youth Conmebol Copa Libertadores 2022 would have gone unnoticed by many people around the worldif it weren’t for a particular name in their squad.
A youngster called Messi wearingthe number 10 on his back has immediately caught the eyes of the soccer community. If being the namesake of the world’s best player and wearing his emblematic shirt is not curious enough, the fact that he’s doing it at Lionel‘s boyhood club should be.
But Joaquin Messi, the 19-year-old who turns 20 in April, has nothing to do with the Paris Saint-Germain superstar. He is a huge admirer of Leo, though, and would be glad to play with him at the Argentineclub in the future.
The story of Joaquin Messi, Lionel’s namesake who plays for Newell’s U-20s
In an interview with the tournament’s social media, Joaquin revealed he has been constantly askedabout a relationship with Lionel. “When I arrived at Newell’s everyone asked me if I was related to him. It’s just a coincidence. For instance, in my town there are three families with the surname Messi. It’s natural, surnames coincide all over the world and I happened to coincide with him. And I’m a soccer player as well,” Joaquin Messi said.
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He was born on April 16, 2002, in Coronel Arnold, a small town 24 milesaway from Rosario, where Newell’s have their stadium and training facilities. He began to play in Newell’s at 8 and would eventually make his way up to the U20s, with whom he’s playing the Youth Copa Libertadores after winning their division last year.
And now that he’s in the continental spotlight, he’s been automatically linked with the Argentina national team captain again. “They relateme with him even more because I started at Newell’s just like him and I haveto wear the number 10 shirt. To play with him at Newell’s would be a dream come true, it would be the best. He can wear the No. 10, I can wear any other number,” he said.
But as nice ascomparisons could be, they can also create a lot of pressure. Joaquin, an attacking midfielder whose preferred foot is his right foot, is just starting his own path. Only that he’s doing so with a special surname and number on his back.
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