Charles Boehm

For millions, maybe billions, of soccer lovers around the world, Lionel Messi is an icon, a larger-than-life figure thanks to his exploits on the pitch over the past two decades.

He represents that for those in and around the Inter Miami academy, too. The Herons’ youth players, coaches and families also get to see another, more relatable side of the GOAT, though, when he turns up on the sidelines to watch his three sons play for the club’s youth teams.

“He’s such a soccer dad. He comes to every game that he's available to come to,” explained Julius James, a former MLS player who has coached on IMCF’s academy staff since its launch in 2019, to MLSsoccer.com this week. “It’s really, really cool to just watch him just be there, enjoying his kids play.

“To see him take th

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