The Lionel Messi effect is real.
It isn’t just fans that are gravitating towards him, but also players.
Jordi Alba is one of those players, admitting in a press conference on Tuesday that he chose to play for Inter Miami to reunite with his former Barcelona teammate.
Why Alba chose Inter Miami
Alba said that he picked the MLS side as his next team as they were the ones who showed the maximum urgency to sign him.
He made the move to the United States despite getting more lucrative offers from other football clubs, per Goal.com.
In addition to that, he wanted to reunite with his former Barcelona teammates, Messi and Sergio Busquets at South Beach and start winning trophies with them again.
The three of them won several trophies together during their time with the Catalan giants. It is one big reunion for them in Miami, as their current coach, Tata Martino was also their manager before at Barcelona.
Messi off to great start
Messi has had an impressive start to his Inter Miami career, scoring three goals in his first two matches for the MLS club.
He opened his account with a stunning free kick in the dying seconds of their Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul, which gave them a dramatic 2-1 win.
He continued his fine form in their next match against Atlanta United, scoring twice in the game’s opening 22 minutes.
He also recorded an assist in the second half, helping Inter Miami cruise to a 4-0 victory, per Sky Sports.
Messi and Alba’s connection
The Argentine star has had the privilege of playing alongside some of the finest football players in the world during his illustrious career, including Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta, David Villa, and Xavi.
According to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, Jordi Alba is the man who he has an unrivaled rapport with.