Lionel Messi Invites Two Premier League Teams to Participate in First-Ever 'Messi Cup'

Lionel Messi has announced a brand new tournament called the Messi Cup, a competition that will feature eight clubs from around the world – including Barcelona, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.

It has been a busy month for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who handpicked 10 future stars as part of a recent Adidas advertising campaign.

Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha was chosen by Messi alongside Nico Paz, Kendry Paez, Andrey Santos, Rodrigo Mora, Brajan Gruda, Kader Meïte, Mika Godts, Lily Yohannes and Clara Serrajordi.

The Argentine clearly knows a thing or two about wonderkids.

And on Tuesday, he gave some of football's brightest prospects a platform to showcase their skills by announcing the first edition of the Messi Cup, an international tournament that will take place in December.

Messi has announced a new competition. Image credit: Getty

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Messi wrote: "Thrilled to finally share this with you — this December, Miami will host a very special youth football tournament featuring some of the top clubs from around the world.

"The future of the game will be on full display, and it’s more than just matches — we’ve got an incredible few days planned with lots of other exciting activities. This is about the next generation. Hope you like it! This is the #MessiCup."

The Messi Cup, which has been organised by 525 Rosario – the production company founded by Messi – has been described as a "groundbreaking" youth football competition.

In total, eight youth teams will take part in the under-16 tournament, including Barcelona, River Plate, Inter Milan, Newell’s Old Boys, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City.

The Messi Cup competition format explained

The competition will feature two groups of four teams, each playing in a round-robin format over the first three days. The top teams will then advance to the play-off stage, which will determine final rankings.

The final day will feature the third-place match and the final, with both fixtures taking place at Inter Miami's Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Tim Pastore, the CEO of 525 Rosario, has described the competition as an "opportunity to celebrate talent, culture, and community, creating legacies and bonds that will endure beyond the field of play."

He added: "The Messi Cup is the meeting point between the football of today and the players of tomorrow."