Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas told reporters Tuesday that the club is signing Spanish defender Jordi Alba, another former FC Barcelona teammate of Lionel Messi.
Miami signed Messi, the seven-time Ballon d'Or-winning superstar, and introduced him to fans on Sunday. The club also added Sergio Busquets, who played with Messi and Alba at Barcelona.
Alba, 34, is the captain of the Spanish men’s national team and left Barcelona this summer to be a free agent.
In a 15-year playing career spent entirely with Spanish clubs, Alba has racked up 26 goals and 70 assists across 422 matches played (358 starts). He had been with Barcelona since 2012–13.
Alba may not be the last international player to join Inter Miami this year. Luis Suarez, a star forward who spent several years with Messi and company at Barcelona, has been linked to Miami.
Suarez, 36, currently plays for Gremio in Brazil, and Mas said there have not been any talks with the player or the club.
“I don’t know how Luis Suarez can leave Gremio. But if he does, we are free to talk to Luis and bring him to Inter Miami,” Mas said. “That possibility would be there.”
As for Messi himself, the 36-year-old trained with Inter Miami for the first time on Tuesday, and Mas reiterated what he said weeks before the signing was official: that Messi’s debut will come Friday in the club’s Leagues Cup opener against Cruz Azul of Mexico City.
It’s unknown whether Messi will start or come off the bench in that game.
