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Argentinian club Newell's Old Boys have always dreamed of seeing Messi wearing its No. 10 jersey. And that dream is kind of a reality these days.
The only thing is this Messi is not the global superstar Lionel but a young fellow named Joaquín. And that's the catch.
Joaquín Messi is part of the Newell's Old Boys team currently playing Copa Libertadores U-20, and his last name has promptly caught the attention of all those involved in the competition. And one of the first questions he is asked is if they are related.
"It's just a coincidence; for instance, in my town, there are three families with the surname Messi," he told in an interview with CONMEBOL. "It’s natural, surnames coincide all over the world, and I happened to coincide with him. And I am a soccer player as well."
¿Es argentino? Si
¿Juega con la ? Si.
¿Juega en @NewellsJuvenil? Si.
¿Messi? ¡Messi!Con ustedes, Joaquín Messi, un de los cracks de #Newells en la CONMEBOL #LibertadoresSub20.Conheça o Messi do #Newells na #LibertadoresSub20. pic.twitter.com/Y528ZZzH1W
— CONMEBOL Libertadores Sub-20 (@LibertadoresU20) February 7, 2022
The 19-year-old was born in Coronel Arnold, Rosario, and started to play in Newell's Old Boys' youth system when he was still a kid, like Messi. And that parallelism also brings questions to Joaquín.
"They relate me with him even more because I started at Newell’s just like him, and I have to wear the No. 10 shirt," he said.
But there is where coincidences end. Barcelona didn't recruit him as they did with Leo, and Joaquín continued his development in La Lepra.
Today he is in the U-20 team, but the dream is to become a professional and maybe one day play along with the other Messi, the G.O.A.T.
"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 admitted.
