Ciro Messi looks every bit like his dad with stunning free kick before stealing the show with celebration
Lionel Messi's youngest son is only eight, but one spectacular goal and an ice-cold celebration made the family resemblance impossible to ignore
There are certain things that simply look familiar when the last name on the back of the shirt is Messi. Ciro Messi stepped up to a free kick for Inter Miami's academy, looked toward goal and produced the kind of moment his father has delivered countless times on much bigger stages.
The eight-year-old struck the ball with his right foot, sending it over the wall and beyond the goalkeeper during Inter Miami U8's run at the Dreams Cup. Unlike his famously left-footed father , Ciro is right-footed, but the confidence standing over a dead ball and the finish inevitably made comparisons with Lionel Messi impossible to avoid.
Then came the part nobody expected. After celebrating with his teammates, Ciro was handed a pair of sunglasses, put them on, crossed his arms and posed alongside the other children . The goal was impressive enough; the celebration made sure everyone remembered it.
Ciro Messi is beginning to create moments of his own
Being Lionel Messi's son means almost anything Ciro does with a football will be compared with his father, but the youngster is already giving people plenty to talk about on his own. Inter Miami went on to win the Dreams Cup, crushing Weston FC 10-2 in the final, with Ciro scoring twice before being named MVP. He also finished the tournament as its leading scorer.
Ciro isn't the only Messi growing up with a ball at his feet. His older brothers Thiago and Mateo are also part of Inter Miami's youth system , allowing all three boys to develop at the same club where their father continues to add chapters to one of football's greatest careers.
Nobody knows where football will eventually take an eight-year-old boy, and comparisons with perhaps the greatest player ever are a burden Ciro certainly doesn't need yet. For now, he is simply playing, scoring and having fun. But when a Messi curls in a beautiful free kick and then celebrates in sunglasses like he owns the place, asking fans not to think about his father becomes almost impossible.
