Inter Miami agree to face Messi's boyhood club Newell's Old Boys next February

Lionel Messi and his manager Gerardo 'Tata' Martino are set to face off against their former club after Inter Miami reportedly agreed to face Newell's Old Boys in a February friendly in Florida.

The game will be played on February 17 and will likely be held in Miami's DRV PNK Stadium, according to reports.

During his playing career, Martino made more than 400 appearances for his hometown club and eventually managed the team for a year during the 2012-13 season before heading to Barcelona.

Messi joined Newell's academy when he was only six years old and is thought to have scored more than 500 goals with Old Boys' youth teams before his move to Barcelona.

Inter Miami also recently announced that they will play a two-game tour in Asia during November, when they are set to face Qingdao Hainiu in Qingdao, China on November 5, followed by a game against Chengdu Rongcheng in Chengdu, China on November 8.

'We're very excited to continue to expand our Club's global reach, bringing our team to play in front of incredible fans across the globe,' said Inter Miami's Chief Business Officer, Xavier Asensi.

'This is a special opportunity to share the passion as we reach new audiences and put ourselves on display in new places, and we're looking forward to beginning this adventure.'

'This will be a great opportunity to continue building on our 2023 campaign, in which we achieved our first-ever trophy,' Sporting Director and Chief Soccer Officer Chris Henderson added.

'We will take this as an opportunity to begin our preparations for 2024, as we look to build on last season and find more success moving forward.'