There they were, all of them grinning, practicing together while seated side by side on a few benches.

Drinks were being consumed by Lionel Messi, Luis Surez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba in that order.

This was not 2014 Barcelona.

This was Inter Miami on Saturday.

Officially back together in Major League Soccer is Messi, Busquets, Alba, and Surez. Inter Miami’s preseason training got underway on Saturday, and Surez made his debut in his new uniform after agreeing to a one-year contract last month to rejoin the three former teammates who arrived in the summer.

All that is expected of me, according to Surez, is to come assist a team with well-known players that everyone knows, (adapt) to the other players and what is a new club, and do what the club wants, which is to try to win an MLS Cup and do it with professionalism.

Surez and Messi won four Spanish league titles, nine other trophies, including a Champions League title, during their six seasons together at Barcelona.

With Gremio, Surez was the finest player and striker in the Brazilian league last season. However, he is starting his 19th professional season and will turn 37 in a few weeks due to knee problems.

However, it doesn’t sound like he’s making a smooth transition to retirement by joining MLS. On Saturday, he was extremely vocal about his support for Inter Miami to prevail. This season, the team will aim to retain its Leagues Cup trophy and pursue an MLS title, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and the U.S. Open Cup.

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Surez stated that the finest advise for the athletes is to dream big. If we can dream of winning, why not dream of winning all four titles? It is up to us. We may discuss it, but we also need to show it on the field by working hard, being dedicated, and making sacrifices.” Surez stated that in addition to the obvious benefit of playing alongside Messi once more, Inter Miami’s ownership group member and soccer star David Beckham had held several discussions with the team.

For me, this is really significant,” Surez remarked. He spoke with me the advantages of Inter Miami and the Major League Soccer. His telling me that was very kind of him.

Surez’s career has been full of highs and lows, as well as some really dubious incidents.

With Surez, Uruguay reached the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup, ending 20 years of World Cup underperformance. In 2011, he contributed to Uruguay’s first Copa America victory in sixteen years. In 2021, he had a key role in Atletico Madrid’s first Spanish championship in seven years.

In addition, he is well-known for his notorious intentional handball in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals, which helped Germany advance past Ghana to the semifinals. He has also been banned three times for biting opponents, the most recent time occurring in 2014 when he stomped on Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder during a World Cup match.

However, Messi, Busquets, and Alba have been raving about him for years. There’s no denying that Surez’s knees probably won’t let him to participate in every game on Inter Miami’s packed 2024 schedule, and manager Gerardo Tata Martino appears to be okay with it.

Martino stated following the first official session that Luis had put in a lot of work and finished his training with great skill. We’ll take care with his knee if necessary throughout the season, but today he performed really well and appears to be in fantastic shape, so that’s something we’re thrilled about.