Messi, Suárez Launch Professional Football Club in Uruguay

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, longtime teammates at Barcelona and Inter Miami, have co-founded Deportivo LSM, a football club in Uruguay aiming to compete in the country's professional fourth division. Originally founded by Suarez in 2018 as Deportivo LS with a focus on nurturing local talent and community development, the club has grown to over 3,000 members and features modern infrastructure including a synthetic turf stadium. Suarez announced the rebranding to include Messi, who has joined as a partner, adding global prominence to the project and signaling a shared vision to develop youth and professional football in Uruguay. The duo plans to jointly manage the club while appointing experienced local sports personnel, with aspirations to rise through the ranks of Uruguayan football. This venture is also positioned as a family-driven initiative, rooted in Suarez's hometown of Ciudad de la Costa, and aims to provide opportunities for young athletes. The involvement of two of football's greatest stars brings unprecedented attention and resources to Uruguayan football development.