The first image of Messi and his latest son Ciro

Messi published a photo on Instagram showing his finger being grasped by the hand of a new-born. The image was accompanied by a piece of text reading "Welcome Ciro!!! Thank God everything turned out perfect. Both mother and child are well. We're very happy!!!"

Ciro's birth, which had been expected early in March, is the reason why Lionel Messi will not feature against Malaga at the Rosaleda on Saturday night.

The first to break the story of Ciro's birth was Carla Rocuzzo, the sister of Messi's wife Antonella, who posted on Twitter to announce the arrival of the latest member of the Messi clan.

Messi himself announced Ciro's name a month ago via an Instagram story. Ciro is Messi's third son, joining Thiago (born in 2012) and Mateo (2015).