Barcelona legend Luis Suarez reacts on social media as Lionel Messi scores brace for Inter Miami against Atlanta United
Former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid forward Luis Suarez has left a short but sweet reaction to Lionel Messi's full debut for Inter Miami CF.
Messi started for the Herons in their second Leagues Cup match against fellow Major League Soccer (MLS) side Atlanta United on Tuesday, July 25. La Pulga scored twice and set up another to help Miami record a thumping 4-0 victory.
After the match, he took to Instagram to post a carousel of images from the match.
"✅✅ @leaguescup," Lionel Messi captioned the post.
Luis Suarez, who played alongside Messi for more than half a decade at Barcelona, commented this on the post:
"👏❤⚽"
Suarez, who currently plays for Gremio in Brazil, remains one of the Argentine superstar's closest friends. The duo shared the pitch 258 times for Barcelona between 2014 and 2020, the year the Uruguayan departed the Spotify Camp Nou to join Atletico Madrid.
During that stretch, they combined for 99 goals, with Suarez assisting Messi 56 times and Messi setting up Suarez on 43 occasions. The Catalans won 187 of those matches while losing on just 29 occasions, outscoring opponents 669-229 overall.
Suarez and Messi won four La Liga titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy and four Copas del Rey together. They also lifted two Supercopas de Espana, one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.
It's worth noting that Inter Miami have been linked with a move for Suarez this summer. According to Diario Sport, the Uruguayan is willing to buy out his Gremio contract, which runs until December 2024, to move to Miami.
The Herons, meanwhile, acquired another international roster spot from the San Jose Earthquakes earlier this week. This will enable them to add Suarez, having already signed Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. They are also rumored to be targeting another Barcelona icon in Andres Iniesta.
Lionel Messi excelled for Inter Miami CF on Wednesday with a little help from Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets
Lionel Messi ran the show for Inter Miami CF on Wednesday to help them win consecutive matches for only the third time this season. He also scored the winner in their Leagues Cup opener against Cruz Azul on July 21, netting a brilliant free-kick in second-half stoppage time after coming off the bench for his debut.
Against Atlanta United, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner opened the scoring in the eighth minute. After being put one-on-one with the goalkeeper by a delightful ball over the top from former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, Messi hit the post. However, the rebound fell kindly for him to convert into an empty net.
Fourteen minutes later, he had scored again. This time, he met a cutback from Robert Taylor, who also scored twice on the night, to finish via the far-post with his weaker right foot.
Lionel Messi returned the favor in the second half, setting up Taylor in the 53rd minute to put Miami 4-0 up. La Pulga was replaced in the 78th minute with two goals, an assist, three key passes, two successful dribbles, three ground duels won and an 82% passing accuracy to his name.
Busquets, meanwhile, was replaced in the 72nd minute. He completed 93% of his passes and laid out one key pass, while making an interception and a tackle.