Fans of Barcelona will feel a little sad but maybe even more happy seeing their former stars band together. The Catalans have seen a massive exodus in recent years, with their biggest stars leaving, including Lionel Messi, arguably their best player ever.
Furthermore, they have lost the likes of Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, which has left a huge hole to fill for the club. But fans can now find some solace in seeing their former beloved stars together at another club.
Lionel Messi training with ex-Barcelona trio enthralls fans
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba made the decision to join David Beckham’s MLS club, Inter Miami, last summer. And now the trio was joined by former teammate and striker Luis Suarez this winter. The Uruguayan joined on a free transfer after leaving Gremio. In fact, the presence of his former teammates was what convinced him to join them.
The four of them spent a long and successful spell in Barcelona. They spent six years together and won a lot of trophies, including the famous 2015 Champions League. It was the same season when they won the treble.
🥹✨ Imagine seeing this photo a few years back…
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 13, 2024
Leo Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets & Jordi Alba reunited at Inter Miami. 🇺🇸🦩 pic.twitter.com/FS6Q5BEvG6
Ahead of the start of the new MLS season in February, Inter Miami are holding a number of friendly matches to boost their global image and revenue. And so after a long vacation, players have returned to official training to prepare for them. For the first time, we saw Lionel Messi train with his three former teammates.
The official Instagram account of the club knew what it was doing when it posted a picture of the 4 players enjoying a moment on a bench. The caption was aptly written, “Nothing better than playing with friends”. Since then it has garnered a lot of engagement, with fans happy to see their favorite stars together again.
Luis Suarez discloses Lionel Messi retirement wish
However, Barcelona fans will also feel a little sad to see the stars that brought them much success play elsewhere. Luis Suarez was also asked about his feelings, and he clarified that both he and Lionel Messi never imagined they would be here in the MLS and dreamt of retiring at Barcelona instead.
Luis Suárez: "I always thought that Messi wouldn't play for another team, that he would retire at Barcelona." pic.twitter.com/XiYIWSVROl
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 13, 2024
He said, “I didn’t imagine we would be together again because I thought Leo would finish his career at Barcelona. In 2019 we imagined winning everything at Barcelona and we dreamed of retiring there. First I left and then they all left after me.”
Suarez was the first to leave in 2020, and then Messi would also be forced to leave in 2021 due to Barcelona’s financial situation. Last season, both Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba decided to leave as well. However, they are all together now, and hopefully they will build another legacy in the MLS. Their first match together will be a friendly game against El Salvador on January 20.
