LEAGUES CUP 2023
When was the last time that Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets played together?
For the first time after two years, Lionel Messi will once again play alongside Jordi Alba, this time in the Leagues Cup.
Jordi Alba is set to make his Inter Miami debut, despite Argentine coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino not revealing whether the Spaniard will start or come on as a substitute against Orlando City. However, it is almost a given that the former Barça player will have minutes at his new club.
This occasion will therefore mark the reunion between Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi in an official match, since the last time they played together was in Barcelona shirts in the final season of the Argentine star as a culé.
When did Messi, Alba and Busquets last play together?
And a total of 808 days have passed since the last time Lionel Messi played alongside both Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. That is, almost two years later, the trio of pillars of FC Barcelona meet again, now playing in Miami and ready to go in the Leagues Cup interstate derby against Orlando City (a game you can follow live with AS USA).
The last game in which the three of them played together for the last time also represented Messi’s last game with Barcelona: the tie took place on May 16, 2021 on the penultimate LaLiga match day between the blaugrana and Celta de Vigo.
Who played the last time Messi played with Jordi Alba?
In that match, Ronald Koeman, then Barcelona’s head coach, started the game with an XI made up of Ter Stegen, Ronald Araújo, Clement Lenglet, Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Ilaix Moriba; Ousmane Dembélé, Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi.
The result was not favourable for Barcelona, as they ended up losing 2-1 against Celta Vigo. However, during the game, Messi scored Barça’s only goal, one which came as a result of a great assist from Sergio Busquets, in what would be his last for the Spanish team.
Now, two years later, the trident made up of Messi, Busquets and Alba will once again line up together in an important fixture for Inter Miami, as they will look for a place in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup against Florida rivals Orlando City in a tie which is already considered a clásico in the United States.
