Lionel Messi Starts Practice Ahead of MLS Debut; Inter Miami Signs Spanish Defender Jordi Alba

It will be a big FC Barcelona reunion at Inter Miami as the club has signed Spanish full-back Jordi Alba. He will reunite with former teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. While this is happening, Messi has already started practicing with his new teammates ahead of his much-awaited MLS debut.

Alba recently left FC Barcelona after his contract expired with the club after spending over a decade with them. The Spaniard scored 27 goals in 459 matches with the Catalan giants and helped the club win six La Liga titles and the Champions League in 2015.

According to BBC News, other FC Barcelona players may also sign with Inter Miami soon, including Uruguay legend Luis Suarez, who is currently playing in Brazil for Gremio. Suarez, regarded as the bad boy of soccer, won La Liga and Champions League titles with Messi in Barcelona.

"There's been a lot of talk about Luis Suarez coming. We haven't held direct talks with Gremio or with Suarez." Inter Miami president Jorge Mas stated on Tuesday. "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. That possibility would be there."

Suarez has played with Jordi Alba, Lionel Messi, and Sergio Busquets for six years and together, they have won titles in Europe as part of one of the most dominant teams in all of Europe.

Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets Begin Practicing With New Inter Miami Teammates

After his presentation to the public, Lionel Messi did not take long to take to the field again for his first practice session alongside his new/old teammate Sergio Busquets and the rest of Inter Miami.

The Argentinian World Cup winner was seen jogging laps and taking part in warmup drills while practicing. He was also seen making passes in a tight circle before he started practicing kicking the ball into an open net.

While it was supposed to be an ordinary practice session to get Messi acclimated with his new teammates and the Miami climate, it was flocked by media, with a helicopter and drones buzzing overhead and around 200 media members lining up to watch him practice, per the Associated Press.

Messi did not speak with the media, but Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham did, saying that his arrival raises the bar.

"It has the eyes of the world. Not just Argentina, but the eyes of the world," the former England captain said.

Inter Miami Owner Expects Lionel Messi Will Double Team's Revenue

Getting Lionel Messi to sign with Inter Miami was expensive for the MLS club, but its owners are also expecting to gain a lot of money from this investment.

Managing owner Jorge Mas spoke with CNBC, saying that he expects revenues and his franchise value to "double over the next year." This comes as Messi Mania grips Miami and ticket sales cost up to a hundred thousand dollars.

When news of Messi's signing with the club first surfaced, demand for tickets was not the only thing that went up, as the club's jerseys and merchandise are also experiencing massive increases in sales. With this, Mas says that he believes his team's valuation could reach between $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion in the next year.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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