20 November 2023 , 19:24
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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami teammates, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, have paid tribute to Barcelona superstar Gavi after the midfielder was ruled out for the remainder of the season following tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.
The 19-year-old, who has played 111 games for Barca in his young career, could also miss Euro 2024 for Spain and the Olympic Games in Paris next year. Gavi will undergo surgery later this week before starting his road to recovery.
Well-wishers have poured in from across the football world, with rivals, former teammates, and fellow current Barca stars taking to social media to send Gavi a message. Gavi's former Barca teammates, Alba and Busquets, were two of many.
"Lots of strength in this tough hole, little brother!" Alba said on Instagram. "Everyone who knows you knows you're going to fight to come back even stronger!" Busquets, who shared the midfield with Gavi, added: "Knowing yourself you will become stronger. Animal spirit."
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Both Busquets and Alba left their beloved Barca in the summer to join legend Messi on his adventure in the MLS with Inter Miami. The trio helped the MLS franchise win the Leagues Cup, reach the final of the US Open Cup, and nearly staged a late push to make the playoffs.
Next season is the year Inter Miami will be expected to compete for the MLS Cup following the big-name acquisitions, and more could follow, with the likes of Luis Suarez touted for a reunion with his former Barca teammates. "Another season complete at this incredible football club... and what a season it has been," Miami co-owner David Beckham said on Instagram.
"I want to personally thank the players, the staff and of course our amazing fans, La Familia, for the special journey that we have been on together. A important chapter in our story, and one we can all be very proud of. We again next year... Vamos #FreedomToDream."
Jordi Alba has also wished "little brother" Gavi well (Getty)Next season will also be the year that a reigning Ballon d'Or winner will be playing his football in the United States. Messi claimed an eighth golden ball at the end of last month in Paris, with his World Cup win with Argentina the main driving force behind claiming the individual honour.
Questions were raised over whether the Argentine, 36, should have won the Ballon d'Or but in former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe's mind, Messi's form at the Club level, as well as country, made him the deserved winner. Mbappe became only the second-ever player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, as France lost to Argentina on penalties following a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes.
I am not scared that it [the award] has escaped me," Mbappe told reporters (as translated by Get French Football News). "Messi deserves it. In the evening of the 18th [December 2022], I knew he’d won the World Cup and the Ballon d’Or. I had a great season, like Haaland, but when you win the World Cup, that makes the difference.”