MLS
MLS goes viral after Sergio Busquets mix-up during Inter Miami presentation
How much does former Barcelona star Busquets look like ex-Real Madrid defender Álvaro Arbeloa? You can decide for yourself.
You have to feel a little for Sergio Busquets, whose unveiling as an Inter Miami player took place at the same time as former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi. Needless to say, Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain hogged the limelight, with the Spaniard pushed into the background, which feels bizarre to say given that he is one of the very best midfielders of his generation (although in all honesty, he doesn’t come across as the kind of character that would be especially fussed).
MLS’ Busquets-Arbeloa mix-up
To make matters worse, Major League Soccer were also at it on social media, albeit inadvertently. Busquets has become one of the league’s highest-profile and best-paid players yet that didn’t stop MLS’ official Twitter account from confusing the ex-Barça star with former international teammate Álvaro Arbeloa, which didn’t go unnoticed amongst supporters of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
A photo accompanied by the text “All he does is win” shows a picture of the player alongside the huge number of honours Busquets’ picked up during his time with both the current LaLiga champions and the Spanish national team. The only thing is…it shows the wrong player.
In fairness to the MLS, a 21-year-old Busquets kissing the World Cup trophy in 2010 does look a bit like a 27-year-old Arbeloa kissing the World Cup trophy in 2010 from a certain angle. And the league themselves were quick to poke fun at themselves for the error after uploading a new snap and took the ribbing they received with good humour.
Work to do for Busi and Messi in Miami
While Arbeola has long retired (in 2017 after winning two Champions Leagues with Madrid), Busquets, like Messi, is about to embark on a new challenge at the grand old age of 35. And he and his Barcelona buddy have plenty of work to do, with Inter Miami bottom of both the MLS Eastern Conference and the overall standings after losing 14 of their 22 matches in the 2023 season so far.
Things can only get better.