Meet Lionel Messi's new team-mates: Facundo Farias and Inter Miami's latest raft of new signings

We'll start with the main man himself: Messi. The Argentine needs no introduction, so we won't waste time listing out his many accolades. But, while there may not be a need to get into Messi's past, it is worth discussing both the present and the future.

In Miami, Gerardo 'Tata' Martino will no doubt look to use Messi in a variety of ways. He can either play on the right-hand side, much as he has for most of his career, or he could be deployed centrally as a No.10. No matter where he plays, he won't need to do much defending. No, for Messi, the mandate is clear: go out and get us goals.

It didn't take long to do just that, as he scored three and assisted two more in his first game-and-a-half in Inter Miami pink.

Another familiar face, Busquets, like Messi, already has an untouchable legacy. The ex-Barcelona star is among the best midfielders of his generation, having run the middle of the field for both club and country for over a decade. Few players in the history of the game have had a better pure understanding of the sport than Busquets, whose tactical knowledge and positioning is second to none.

That knowledge will buy him a few extra years as he inevitably slows down physically, although he'll certainly need some runners next to him in the midfield. He'll be deployed as a No.6 , either by himself or with another, as he looks to dictate the game from a deeper position.

The early results have been good, as Busquets' technical skill has been on full display as he's duelled with Atlanta United and Cruz Azul, taking advantage of the increased space and time compared to what he's seen in the highest levels of the game.

Only one more Barcelona star, we promise. Alba, like his long-time team-mates, was among the best in his position for a long time, holding down that left-hand side at the Camp Nou for years. He's certainly slowed down a bit but, in a league that doesn't place much of an emphasis on big-money full-backs, he'll instantly be right there as the best in MLS.

The Spanish star will take up a spot on that left flank, with U.S. men's national team veteran DeAndre Yedlin on the opposite side of the defense. In front of Alba will likely be the next player on this list, a young future star who will look to benefit from all of the superstar talent around him...

What a situation Farias is walking into. The 20-year-old Argentinian starlet will now be learning from the very best as he looks to take the next step on his own path to the top.

The winger was signed for a reported $5 million transfer fee with potential incentives, as Inter Miami secured the signing of one of the top young stars in Argentina. He scored 16 goals with nine assists during his time with Colon, having joined the first team in 2019. And he already has three goals in eight appearances in the Copa Libertadores, having proven he can play at the highest levels in South America.

Farias had previously been linked with both Boca Juniors and River Plate, having drawn comparisons with Carlos Tevez, but a knee injury in 2022 dashed any hopes of a move to one of the giants. Instead, he'll now play with the biggest giant of Argentine soccer in Messi, and he'll almost certainly occypy the left flank opposite the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner on the right.

We mentioned earlier that Miami would need some younger legs in the midfield, and they got them in Gomez. The 20-year-old central midfielder is already a senior international with Paraguay, having already earned four caps from his country. He comes to Miami by way of Club Libertad, where he featured over 40 times.

With Busquets as the holding midfielder, Gomez is more of a box-to-box No.8, who should provide some of the energy needed to aid the Spanish midfielder. Gomez is one of several young midfielders in the squad, with teenagers Benjamin Cremaschi and David Ruiz already logging significant minutes for a team that lost prior captain Gregore in March.

With Farias in attack and Gomez in midfield, it's Aviles who has been signed to bolster a defense that has certainly had its difficulties this season. The 19-year-old center-back comes as a highly-touted young prospect from Racing, where he made his professional debut in 2020. He went on to make 20 appearances for the club, playing four times for Racing in the Copa Libertadores.

Internationally, Aviles has featured for both Chile and Argentina, but played for the latter most recently at the Under-20 World Cup. He started twice in that tournament, earning a red card against Guatemala before returning for Argentina's last-16 defeat to Nigeria.

Miami won't need to rush Aviles onto the field, with senior internationals Kamal Miller and Serhiy Kryvtsov able to play as the young defender acclimates himself to life in MLS.

In terms of top-end acquisitions, Inter Miami are pretty filled out now when it comes to MLS rules. Messi, Busquets and Leonardo Campana are holding down Miami's three Designated Player spots, while the club used it's three U22 initiative spots on Aviles, Gomez and Farias. Because of that, it'll be difficult for the club to make any massive signings, unless some rumored MLS rule changes come to fruition any time soon.

The club, of course, has been linked with Luis Suarez, who may very well come in the winter. He's staying at Gremio for now, despite his desire to play with Messi once again, but it seems all involved will figure out a way to make that reunion happen at one point or another.

Suarez isn't the only big name to be linked, though. Sergio Ramos and Andres Iniesta have also been the source of rumors, with the former seemingly making more sense than the latter. Still, it remains to be seen how Miami could pull things off financially but, given what we know about both Miami and MLS rules, there's always a way to figure it out.

This revolution is just beginning, and it'll be carried on by a combination of familiar faces and rising stars. Now, after all of the rumors, the pieces are beginning to fall into place for Miami to look like the team everyone expects it to be.