MLS
Goals galore: The last time Messi and Suárez played together
Inter Miami’s newly-reunited duo played 258 games together for Barcelona and their incredible on-field partnership ended in typical fashion.
During their six years together at Barcelona, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez formed one of the most devastating attacking duos of the 21st century.
Together they won four LaLiga titles, four Copa del Rey, two Spanish Super Cup and one Champions League trophy. They played alongside each other in 258 games for the Blaugrana, winning 187 of those matches for a win ratio of 73%. Historic.
The final game, the last time the two men shared a locker room, came at the end of the Covid-affected 2019/20 season, which ended in disappointment for Barcelona. They were beaten to the league title by Real Madrid and suffered a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.
But on Sunday, 7 July 2020, they put on a show in what turned out to be Suárez’ final appearance for the club. In their LaLiga finale against Deportivo Alavés, Barcelona ran out 5-0 winners with a typically ruthless show of attacking play from the dynamic duo.
Lionel Messi scored twice and set up the opening goal for Ansu Fati, a virtuoso display from the Inter Miami captain. But, perhaps most excitingly for Herons fans, Suárez’ 197th and final goal for Barcelona gives a little flavor of what could be unleashed on MLS in 2024.
Messi picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, paused, before floating an inch-perfect pass to the on-rushing Jordi Alba. The Spaniard took it in his stride and cushioned the ball back across the penalty box, where Luis Suárez was on-hand to nod the ball home.
It was a moment of friction-less brilliance from three men who will be sharing the pitch once again this season. For Miami supporters, it was a moment to whet the appetite for what is to come.
Messi and Suárez wrote names into Barça history books
Inter Miami have managed to bring together four key pillars of one of the most successful teams in Barcelona’s illustrious history. The 2014/15 season saw the club clinch the treble - LaLiga, Copa del Rey, Champions League - with a fluid, front-foot style of play.
Central to their success was the relationship between Messi and Suárez, who rank among the finest players to wear the famous jersey. Messi left in 2021 as the club’s all-time record goal-scorer, with a frankly ridiculous 672 goals in 778 appearances.
But Suárez’ six-year spell in Catalonia should not be overlooked. His 197-goal total puts him at No. 3 in the list of Barcelona’s top scorers. He reached that mark in just 283 matches.
“This is a new challenge, a new team, with objectives that excite me very much,” Suárez told reporters during his first week in Miami. “Wanting to win, that is our DNA. Apart from coming from Barcelona, and having been together for many years, we have a competitive DNA that is about wanting to win.”