Jordi Alba explains Lionel Messi's first impressions of Inter Miami and MLS

03 August 2023 , 13:41

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Lionel Messi revealed his first impressions of life at Inter Miami to his reunited teammate Jordi Alba, who has also joined the Herons this summer. (Image: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

New Inter Miami's latest recruit Jordi Alba has opened up on teammate Lionel Messi's first impressions of life with the MLS franchise - and how life in the United States has helped "rediscover his joy" after an unhappy spell with Paris Saint Germain.

The Spain captain joined the World Cup winner in South Beach after a decade of service at Barcelona, with eight of these seasons having seen the pair play alongside each other. Unsurprisingly, after winning multiple major titles at Camp Nou, the duo are close friends and have picked up where they left off after both moving to Florida.

Now, Champions League-winning full-back Alba has explained some of Messi's initial thoughts after swapping Paris Saint-Germain for the US. According to the 34-year-old, his colleague still retains his winning mentality in spite of the plethora of trophies he has already won in his career.

Speaking to reporters at his introductory press conference after his move Stateside was confirmed, Alba opened up on his conversations with Messi during their initial days back together at DRV PNK Stadium. He said: "Leo is a demanding person. He has won a World Cup.

"But he is going to continue [playing] the same. He is going to fight for this challenge, try to win everything and that's why we're here to help him.

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Explaining that his friend already feels settled with Vice City, especially following his struggles in the French capital during the previous two campaigns, Alba also revealed that Messi appears revitalized. He added: "He feels supported, loved and that's the most important thing.

"At PSG he didn't have a good time, but he recovered his joy. I repeat, it's a challenge that personally excites him a lot and I see him very happy."

Lionel Messi has scored three goals in two appearances for Inter Miami (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Alba also spoke about his own motivations for deciding to reunite with Messi and fellow ex-Blaugrana maestro Sergio Busquets, especially after such a glorious spell in Catalonia. He explained: "When I decided to leave Barcelona, I had [no offers]. After the selection [of Inter], the talks with Inter began.

"I had other offers, but the correct decision was to come here, an exciting project.I see the team these days, the truth is that I am very happy. We can do many things. With the utmost humility, I made the decision after the selection despite having offers of more money.

"The important thing for me was to feel important. The confidence of the coach [Tata Martino] made me assess the option and it has done me good. I also saw the desire for [Martino] to come and that is why I have come here."

Tom Beattie