Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on course for historic MLS crown as Barca old boys' reunion nears finale

The Barcelona old boys’ reunion in sun-kissed Miami will soon be coming to an end but the posse of veteran superstars remain in the mix for an appropriately extravagant send-off.

On Saturday, Inter Miami face their second MLS play-off clash against Nashville knowing victory will see them through to the next stage without having to play the final game in a three-match series.

Last weekend saw Lionel Messi maintain his sparkling form this season by scoring two and assisting the other in a 3-1 home win over Nashville.

It capped a memorable week for the 38-year-old Argentine which had seen him secure back-to-back MLS Golden Boots – after notching 29 goals in 28 regular season games – and agree a contract extension which will see him stay in Miami until 2028.

Messi’s 19 assists took him to 48 goal contributions, just one shy of Carlos Vela’s MLS-record 49, and is in prime position to become the first player to win successive MLS MVP awards.

“I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, for this city and for this league the way he has,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber who presented Messi with the top-scorer award ahead of last weekend’s win.

“You have to lean into this unique and special historic moment that I know I’ll look back on and say, ‘Boy, I can’t believe I was running a league that had the best player in the history of the game playing in it’.”

The contract announcement was revealed on the club's social media accounts and featured Messi signing his new deal on the site of the club's new Miami Freedom Park stadium which is set to open next year.

“It makes me really happy to stay here and to continue with this project that, besides being a dream, has become a beautiful reality,” Messi said in a club statement. “Since I arrived in Miami, I've been very happy, so I'm truly glad to keep going here.”

But while the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker will be leading the charge into a new era for the club co-owned by former England captain David Beckham, he will be doing so without his former Camp Nou crew of Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and, in all likelihood, Luis Suarez.

Defender Alba, 36, and midfielder Busquets, 37, have already revealed that they will be ending their trophy-laden careers at the end of the current campaign.

Former Spain and Barca captain Busquets won 32 major honours in 18 years playing for the Catalonians, as well becoming a World and European champion with the national team. “I feel like the time has come to say goodbye to my career as a professional footballer,” he said on social media. “I’m retiring very happy, proud, fulfilled, and above all, grateful.”

Just a couple of weeks ­later, Alba was calling time on a career which had seen him seal 17 major honours at Barca plus Uefa European Championship and Nations League titles with Spain.

“Physically, I still feel good,” he said after his decision went public. “But I think it’s the most honest, the fairest thing to do. The best thing to do is to step aside. It’s something to be proud of the career I’ve had.”

As for striker Suarez, the situation is unclear after what has been a trademark season of quality and controversy for the 38-year-old Uruguayan.

He has 16 goals and 16 assists to his name across all competitions but was also hit with a bumper suspension after spitting at a member of the Seattle Sounders coaching team, following Miami's Leagues Cup final defeat.

Suarez was hit with a six-game ban from the tournament, with a further three slapped on top by the MLS. A contrite Suarez apologised, calling it “a moment of much tension and frustration” that hurt his family and the club. “I was wrong, and I deeply regret it,” he posted on Instagram.

It was the latest dark episode in the career of a player who has served three bans for biting opponents as well as another after being accused of racist abuse. But it is injuries rather than misdemeanours which could cause him to leave Miami when his contract comes to an end on December 31.

Even before he joined up with Messi and Co in the US, Suarez admitted he was suffering with chronic knee problems. “I can feel pain, my body is speaking for me,” he told the 100% Deporte radio show before his summer move to Miami in 2023.

“The truth is that the first steps in the morning are very painful. Anyone who sees me thinks that it is impossible for me to play a game.” Miami president Jorge Mas insisted recently that it will be be down to Suarez if he stays on next year. “Luis Suarez has the heart of a footballer,” said the billionaire American businessman. “He gives everything, but his knees are catching up with him. His problem isn’t emotional – it’s physical.”

But the focus for now is whether the fantastic four can lead Miami – managed by another ex-Barca teammate of Messi in Javier Mascherano – to MLS Cup glory, starting with a win over Nashville in Tennessee on Saturday which would see them reach the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the first time.

And it is that man Messi who will be key to their hopes. “He has reset the trajectory for Major League Soccer and we were already doing pretty well,” added Garber of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. “And I think having three more years is just going to be another gift.”