How Inter Miami could lineup after signing Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba

Two Barcelona legends have already signed contracts with the MLS side

David Beckham's takeover of Inter Miami has been one of the biggest takeovers we have seen in a long time. He has the motive to put the USA and MLS on the football map, make a name for himself as an owner, and add to his all-time achievements.

Inter Miami have done the hard part: they've figured out a way to sign Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, convincing him to turn down Saudi Arabia's money, Barcelona's competitiveness, and Argentina's romanticism. All of the hard work, the years of negotiating, were finally worth it. With a World Cup trophy in hand, the Argentine will spend the next few years of his career in South Beach.

With Busquets moving to Inter Miami and Jordi Alba close to signing for the MLS club, let's look at how they could lineup:

GK: Drake Callender

Callender has been with the club since 2020, but he wasn't the starter until 2022. Since then, he hasn't looked back; he has made 47 appearances in all competitions for the South Beach club. The 25-year-old goalkeeper has some playing experience in the U.S., but he has yet to earn his first cap for the U.S. national team.

Recently, for the Nations League semifinals, he was called up, having established himself as a solid young goalkeeper in the American league. Possessing the necessary height of 6'2", Callender overachieves in saving shots that should be goals and is mainly focused on defending his goalmouth. With one of the highest save percentages in MLS, he makes saves look easy.

LB: Jordi Alba

Inter Miami have already secured the signings of two legends and could add another illustrious Barcelona player: Jordi Alba. There has already been initial contact with the Catalan left-back, and the MLS side intends to intensify talks in the coming days.

Alba announced just over a month ago that his time with Barcelona would come to an end and that he would not complete the remaining year of his contract. One of the clubs interested in the 34-year-old international defender is Inter Miami.

The MLS club showed their interest a few days ago. The club has been looking at the situation and believes that bringing together three of the best players in the world in their position can make a difference in Inter Miami's season.

CB: Kamal Miller

The Canadian International was a key player in Canada's World Cup qualification this year. The centre-back was an All-Star for MLS club CF Montreal last season. He was acquired earlier this year, with Miami receiving the Canadian and $1.3 million in money in exchange for attackers Bryce Duke and Ariel Lassiter.

Miller is not only an excellent passer but also a powerful dribbler. One of the key advantages of playing in a back four is the ability of the centre-back to assess moments where they can carry the ball forward into the half-spaces. The 26-year-old defender has made remarkable changes in his style of play in the past few seasons that he has played in the American league.

CB: Serhiy Kryvtsov

Kryvtsov is the definition of a veteran centre-back; he has 30 Ukraine caps to his name. He was a regular starter for Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk, where he won seven league titles and also featured in the Champions League. He signed with Inter Miami in January, and he has been a regular starter ever since.

Assessing him against the world’s top players, when we see his calmness, quality, composure, and experience, we see a player that can help this relatively young group. Since he’s come in, the young boys in the squad have seen someone who’s deadly serious about football and has a great experience.

RB: DeAndre Yedlin

A longtime USMNT star, Yedlin has been to two World Cups with the U.S. and has 78 senior caps to his name. He has previously played for Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Newcastle United, and Galatasaray before arriving back in MLS in 2022 after eight years abroad.

Around the Club, Yedlin is known as a leader both on and off the pitch. The Seattle native is the mastermind behind the First Team’s adoption of wearing fashionable outfits on arrival for matchday, sparking a surge of creativity and camaraderie among the players as they all express themselves through their fashion sense. Yedlin also serves as a mentor for many of the younger players, guiding the likes of Drake Callender through meditation exercises on training days and game days.

CM: Sergio Busquets

Sergio Busquets is joining the team as a free agent, the Major League Soccer club announced on Friday. The 34-year-old former Barcelona and Spain midfielder will be reunited with his friend and ex-Barça teammate Lionel Messi after not renewing his contract at Camp Nou at the end of an 18-year stay.

THe defensive midfielder was also linked with moves to the Saudi Pro League as Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr made bids for his services. David Beckham's Inter Miami are actively working to build a strong team around the two Barcelona players they have already signed.

CM: Gregore

The 29-year-old midfielder joined Miami before the 2021 MLS season from Brazilian side Bahia. He has eight assists across 62 regular-season games (all starts), also picking up 24 yellow cards and two red cards – an indicator of his combative style.

Inter Miami CF captain Gregore has been an important figure at the Club since stamping his signature ahead of the 2021 season. Overall in his first two seasons in South Florida after joining Inter Miami from Brazilian top-flight club Esporte Clube Bahia, the combative midfielder has been the captain of the side, he is expected to miss six months after suffering an injury.

CAM: Rodolfo Pizarro

Rodolfo Pizarro is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. Inter Miami's Rodolfo Pizarro has played in the majority of the club's MLS matches in 2023, making ten appearances overall and providing one assist.

The 29-year-old attacking midfielder was named in the Liga MX Best XI for the 2019 Clausura campaign and the CONCACAF Champions League Best XI in 2018. The Mexican international was signed as Inter Miami's second designated player ever in 2020 ahead of the club's inaugural campaign after spending his entire career in his native Mexico.

LF: Nicolas Stefanelli

The Argentine signed for Inter Miami from AIK Fotboll in Sweden's top flight in the winter transfer window of 2023. The 28-year-old will have a contract with the club that will keep him there until 2024, with a club option for the 2025 campaign.

Nicknamed "Chicho," Stefanelli has racked up 66 goals and 21 assists in 211 professional appearances. He helped AIK win the 2018 Allsvenskan title, finishing as Sweden’s top team. Stefanelli joins an Inter Miami attack that’s beginning life following the departure of leading scorer Gonzalo Higuan, as the Argentine striker retired after the 2022 campaign. Stefanelli will be joined in the attack by his countryman Lionel Messi.

CF: Josef Martinez

Martínez signed as a Designated Player on loan from Torino on February 2, 2017, and later secured a permanent transfer on March 21, 2017. After scoring 19 goals in 20 matches during his first season with Atlanta United in 2017, Martínez followed that up with a record-breaking campaign in 2018, in which he became the first MLS player to win All-Star, regular-season, and MLS Cup MVP honours in the same season. 

The goals keep coming for Josef Martinez and with them, the milestones. He became the fastest player in Major League Soccer history to reach 100 regular-season goals, and with the addition of Busquets and Messi, it is inevitable that he will continue to score more goals for the club.

RF: Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi could be deployed in a variety of positions, and we'll get to that later. He won't have many if any, defensive duties, and he'll be able to dictate the play, so this is what makes the most sense as things stand.

The ex-Barcelona forward was keen on a return to the Catalan club this summer, but the FFP limitations that will be in place for next season in La Liga made an ambitious plan to bring him back an impossibility. He netted 32 goals in 75 games for the club and ended the season with 16 goals and 16 assists in Ligue 1.