Deportivo LSM: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez's Partnership Evolves Off the Pitch | OneFootball

Inter Miami teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez have launched a new Uruguayan soccer club called Deportivo LSM.

The team, named after the two forwards’ initials, will compete in Division D, the fourth-tier of Uruguayan soccer. Suárez founded the club in his native country while Messi is coming along as a partner on the project.

Deportivo LSM are set to train at the Luis Suárez Complex in Ciudad de la Costa, Uruguay. The 20-acre facility also contains a synthetic turf stadium that can fit up to 1,400 spectators.

Messi and Suárez announced the news in the following heartfelt video on social media:

“[Deportivo LSM] is a family dream that began in 2018. We have grown a lot with more than 3,000 members,” Suárez said. “I want to offer Uruguayan soccer, the place I love and where I grew up as a child, opportunities and tools for teenagers and children to grow.”

Suárez started his career in Uruguay when he signed with Club Nacional in 2005 before he eventually starred at Barcelona. The striker won 15 titles with the Catalans all while he was etching his name in Uruguay’s history books; Suárez became the national team’s all-time leading goalscorer before he retired in 2024.

The Uruguayan found his success in Spain alongside Messi, who he now plays with at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. The two teammates are hoping to take their winning chemistry on the pitch and translate it to Deportivo LSM.

“I’m proud and happy that you chose me, so I hope to contribute everything I can to continue growing and, above all, to be by your side in this,” Messi said in the announcement video.

While the two embark on their new business venture, they still must also focus on getting Inter Miami back on track. The Herons have just one win in their last eight matches across all competitions and sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.