Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 2.0: Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets' retirements suggest that MLS club may be ready to retool

One former Inter Miami staffer used to call Alba "the little engine that could." And that's a fair summary of this all. His generation of Spanish players was littered with stars, who by divine right were going to play international soccer. It was not a question, for example, if Xavi would be a fully fledged international, but when.

Alba wasn't like that. He had a significant physical issue. Alba never got his growth spurt. He was 5-7 as a teenager, and didn't get any taller. That made him positionally awkward. Blessed with the pace and trickery of most wingers, but a defender at heart, no one could quite figure out what to do with him. The early solution was to stick him at left wing and see what happens. In his early 20s, the national team seemed so, so far away - even if Spain had a glaring hole on the left side of defense. 

Valencia unlocked him. Moving an attacking player into a defensive role was not a new concept at the time, but Alba seemed the perfect fit. He had the undeniable technical skill. But he also had the grit. There was a bite to him. He seemed to like to defend. Besides, Spain had already been captivated by a similar ilk of player with Brazilian fullback Dani Alves dominating on the right side of the pitch for Barcelona. Why couldn't Spain have their own version of that other wing with Alba?

Turns out, they could. Left back was his perfect spot. He got his move from Valencia to the club he supported as a kid, Barcelona, and it took off from there: La Liga titles, Champions Leagues, and Copas Del Rey. He became a stalwart for the national team, scored the winning goal in the Euro 2012 final, and captained La Roja on numerous occasions. 

It is a compliment of the highest order when Alba is referred to as Messi's running mate. This was, in effect, what kept Alba ticking over. Even as his defensive and athletic skills waned in his early 30s, Alba stayed relevant because he had an understanding with Messi like no other. You've seen the goal countless times. Messi drops into a central position and fires an angled ball into Alba's path on the left. The full back either pings it back first time for Messi to finish, takes a dribble, and then serves Messi to finish. Or, he dribbles forward a few yards, and then cuts back for Messi to finish. The two have connected for 33 goals over the course of their career. It's impossible to count how many times that move has been foiled, too. 

Messi summed it up best on Alba's retirement post: 

"It's crazy how many assists you've given me over all these years. Who is going to give me those passes from behind now?" he wrote. 

This is just about as much emotion as Messi has ever shown.

Alba made the jump to Miami after it was clear Messi would. There were some doubts about his Barcelona future as early as 2022. But he stuck around. 

Once Messi announced he was joining the MLS club on July 16, 2023, Busquets announced the same day and Alba did so four days later. The Blaugrana boys just had to unite, and Alba completed the trio (Suarez, of course, would follow in December). 

And now he is gone. It would not be an overstatement to say that this is a shock. Miami have been linked with former Tottenham full-back Sergio Reguilon for a while now - a deal that will now surely get over the line. But Alba signed a new contract 147 days ago. Back then, he seemed eager to keep playing:

"I’m happy to renew my contract because I have the desire to continue competing, and because of how I feel at the club, with the affection I receive from fans at every match,” Alba said at the time. “We have that desire to continue competing, to continue winning, and, hopefully, win as many titles as possible."

Those were not the words of a footballer eager to hang them up. The new deal, in fact, was set to keep him in Miami for two full seasons. It was, in effect, a sign that Messi, too, would stay. Alba is sticking around? Messi would surely follow. 

Yet he left all the same. It is entirely possible, of course, that things have changed. Alba is 36. He will turn 37 right after next year's MLS season starts. Even after 28 matches at left back and left wing this year, his body may be giving up on him. These things happen to athletes, especially those who rely on running. 

A word on that Reguilon thing. He is nowhere near the caliber of football Alba is. But he is also 28 years old, more than good enough for MLS, and, crucially, a free agent. Sure, he will command a signing-on fee and a few trimmings here and there. But Reguilon is an absolute bargain who will no doubt make an impact at this level. Yes, it is peculiar that no one has picked him up since his Spurs contract expired on June 30. Perhaps it is possible that, in the small world of soccer, his pending Miami move was common knowledge. Why waste money on a footballer who was going to be elsewhere in six months, anyway? 

He is also, more broadly, representative of a change. Look at Miami's decisions over the past few months, and everything seems geared up to a bit of a refresh. Busquets is soon to be gone, which is fairly unsurprising. Rodrigo De Paul's signing, completed three months ago, basically signalled that Busquets would leave at the end of the year. A little salary cap shifting here and there, and Miami might now have a bit more flexibility heading into the offseason.

If Suarez looks in the mirror, ponders his future, and realizes that he might be actively harming his body by playing soccer at this point, there might be even more wiggle room. 

But who else comes in? At this point, we can only speculate. Miami are star-hungry. They might also have an extra Designated Player spot, especially if a few other players leave and Jorge Mas (and really Messi, too) can convince a few players to take on less lucrative contracts (it has happened before). The inevitable Neymar rumor is too juicy to ignore. AS Roma's Paulo Dybala has been linked in the past. Paul Pogba has penned a deal with Monaco, yet his head might be turned in the future.

The tactical possibilities here are tasty. There's Messi as the false nine with De Paul, Yannick Bright, and another midfielder in there. Perhaps there's a new winger to come. Nicolas Otamendi could well join if Miami decide to be uncharacteristically sensible. If in doubt, basically just scan the Argentina roster that won the 2022 World Cup and see who's getting old. 

It must also be mentioned here that it is starting to get slightly ominous that Messi's contract is yet to be announced. Perhaps this is a PR rollout. They may have adjudged that it was best to let Busquets and Alba announce their plans before revealing a multi-year deal for their main man. It is also admittedly difficult to see where Messi can go at this point. Miami is the natural endpoint. It's a question of when he wants to call it quits. 

In all likelihood, then, we have a rare sensible moment in South Florida. Alba has left. So too has Busquets. Suarez could be next. Reguilon is in. And after doing a whole lot of reassembling old friends, the Herons might just be able to build something that works. Perhaps a team - not just a Barcelona bunch - can achieve the playoff success Miami have craved.