MIAMI — Inter Miami announced they are signing former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets to team-up with Lionel Messi at the Major League Soccer club.
Messi said earlier this month he was moving to Miami and he will now be re-united with his former Barca team-mate Busquets.
Inter Miami posted a tweeted heralding the arrival of the player.
“Si, Busi” read the twitter post, referring to Busquets’ nickname. The tweet included quotes praising Busquets from several people in the game including former Spain coach Vicente del Bosque.
Busquets said in May that he would leave Barcelona in the summer at the end of his contract.
The 34-year-old made 143 appearances for Spain before announcing his retirement from the team in December.
Busquets has been a central part of Barcelona’s successes in the past 15 years, including nine Spanish league titles and three Champions League triumphs.
Busquets played as pivot behind Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez in an iconic midfield trio, and the three of them also won the World Cup with Spain in 2010.
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said this week that the club expected to make between three to five new signings to join Messi.
“We’ve been preparing our roster for Messi’s arrival in ’23, so we left an enormous amount of flexibility,” Mas said according to AFP.
“We will be making additional signings during the summer window, more than what people anticipate. I can say we will potentially be making between three and five signings.”
Busquets is likely to occupy one of the three ‘Designated Player’ spots, an MLS designation for high-earning players, whose wages do not count against the salary cap.
Inter Miami have also been linked with another Spain and Barcelona favourite, left-back Jordi Alba.
Gareth Bale believes Messi will enjoy life away from the crucible of European and international football when he starts his new career in MLS.
The World Cup winner is scheduled to make his debut for his new club, Inter Miami, on July 21.
And while his imminent arrival has generated plenty of interest in the US, Bale believes the pressure will be negligible compared to Messi’s experience playing for Barcelona, Paris St-Germain and Argentina.
MLS has long been derided by many as a “retirement league” where aging European stars go for one final payday.
The league and teams have changed that narrative as younger, homegrown talent has become more prominent but Bale, who ended his career with LAFC and played for Real Madrid in La Liga, suggested the 35-year-old Messi would find MLS a relatively comfortable experience.
“It is a lot more chilled,” Bale told BT Sport. “If you lose at Real Madrid, it is like the world has ended. You are crucified. You feel down. You go home and you’re not happy.
“They accept losing a bit more [in MLS]. There is no consequence. You can’t get relegated over there. When you lose a game you go on to the next one. They accept losing a lot better over there. They know how to lose but they celebrate every win like you have won the championship. He will definitely enjoy it.”
