Mauricio Pochettino reveals plans to call Lionel Messi's sons up to US team - 'Why not?' - The Mirror

Mauricio Pochettino joked about plans to call up Lionel Messi's sons in the United States national football team - citing how it could be a tough task given their allegiance to Argentina

Mauricio Pochettino joked about bringing Lionel Messi's sons into the United States' national football team.

The 52-year-old Argentine was announced as Gregg Berhalter's successor back in September, following an illustrious career in club management with the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. Team USA kicked off their 2025 with a friendly against Venezuela at the weekend.

And during a press conference building up to the game, Pochettino found himself in a comedic conversation about the prospect of introducing Messi's children to the US national team. After being asked about the possibility of calling up Thiago (who was born in 2012) or Mateo (who arrived in 2015), Pochettino responded: "We could talk, but I might be too old.

"I probably won't be there, but it would be good, why not? Considering that they are Leo's children and thinking about the Argentine blood they have, it would be difficult to convince them. I'm Argentine too, I would like them to play for Argentina more than the United States, unless I'm in the United States at that time."

While both Thiago and Mateo were born in Barcelona, they could have dual nationality with the United States. Both boys currently play in the youth ranks of Inter Miami, while their father continues his career with the Floridian outfit's first team.

Messi's third son, Ciro - who was born in 2018 - meanwhile also plays for Inter Miami's younger sides. Pochettino guided USA to a 3-1 win over Venezuela on Saturday (January 18) at the Chase Stadium in Florida.

Centre-mid Jack McGlynn opened the scoring for the Red, White and Blue 37 minutes in before star striker Patrick Agmeyang made it 2-0 six minutes ahead of half-time. Matko Miljevic added a third goal with 64 minutes played before Jorge Yriarte bagged a consolation prize for his nation four minutes later.

The side are next set to face Costa Rica in another friendly come Wednesday (January 22), before they play in the semi-final of the Concacaf Nations League in March, pitted up against Panama. And while US football fans could get excited at the prospect of seeing Messi's children representing their nation one day, it may be an uphill battle to get them to choose USA over Argentina.

At 37, Messi shows no signs of slowing down in the world of professional football. The legend spent 18 years at Barcelona, bagging ten La Liga titles, 14 domestic cups and four Champions Leagues before making the move to PSG in 2021. He added two Ligue 1 titles and a Trophee des Champions to his resume before signing for Inter Miami in 2023 - where he still plies his trade to this day and is under contract until December 2025.

Internationally, Messi has also scored 112 goals in 191 appearances for Argentina, more than doubling second-best Gabriel Batistuta's tally of 55 in 78. For his efforts, he has bagged two Copa Americas and a coveted World Cup.

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