Lionel Messi’s Son Adorable ‘Papi’ Jersey Is A Hit On Instagram [Photo]

Lionel Messi’s girlfriend, Antonella Rocuzzo, posted an adorable photo of their one-year-old son, Thiago, wearing a miniature version of a Barcelona jersey with the number 10 (worn by his father), but instead of his last name on the back, it reads, “Papi”, which translates to daddy.

Since Antonella posted the photo of her and Messi’s child on Instagram, it has received more than 33,000 likes.

The adorable ensemble made its debut on Instagram in October of 2013, when Lionel Messi’s girlfriend posted this:

Even though Lionel has been tied to several women in the past, in 2009 he made a reference to a “girlfriend in Argentina” on the Canal 33 show Hat Trick Barça and later on the couple was spotted together at a carnival, following the Barcelona-Espanyol derby.

In June of 2012, after Messi helped Barcelona beat Ecuador — scoring his 23rd goal for Argentina — in a 2014 World Cup qualifier, he celebrated by stuffing the football into his jersey, in effect announcing to the world that Antonella was 12-weeks pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Lionel and Antonella announced that they were expecting a child in September, but Messi later said a son would be born in October of 2012.

As babies have their own minds and due dates are only approximate, Thiago Messi finally arrived on November 2, 2012, making Lionel, a father for the first time and prompting him to announce on his Facebook page:

[fb link=”https://www.facebook.com/LeoMessi/posts/515078871845045″] Lionel Messi becomes a father [/fb]

Barcelona, only said this as an official announcement of the big event: “Leo Messi is a father.”

Messi, who is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, invited all his fans to share in celebrating Thiago turning one, the following October, saying:

“My son Thiago turns 1 on November 2. I invite you all to come celebrate his birthday with me and with @UNICEF – spread special messages about the challenges children face growing up healthy, and you can win a prize from me. Check it out!”

“Happy birthday to my dear son, Thiago.”

“Celebrate today with us and UNICEF! Raising awareness about the challenges children face to grow up healthy is the best birthday present I can think of.”

Messi is clearly very close to Thiago and had him with him on the field in September of 2013. He shared the special moment on Facebook, once again. The photo has more than 466,000 likes:

[fb link=”https://www.facebook.com/LeoMessi/photos/a.301943896491878.81719.176063032413299/674635172556080/?type=1″] Lionel Messi and his son Thiago. (text explanation usually is the best choice! [/fb]

On Easter Sunday, Lionel Messi’s free kick propelled Barcelona to a 2-1 victory against Athletic Bilbao, which resulted in the Catalan team taking over second place in La Liga, ahead of arch rivals Real Madrid, who had a bye. Barcelona lost to Real in the Copa del Rey final last Wednesday and was eliminated from the semis in the UEFA Champions League.

[Image via Antonella Roccuzzo]