MIAMI, USA: Inter Miami announced on Friday they are signing former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets to team-up with Lionel Messi at the Major League Soccer club.
Messi said earlier this month he was moving to Miami and he will now be re-united with his former Barca team-mate Busquets.
Inter Miami posted a tweeted heralding the arrival of the player.
“Si, Busi” read the twitter post, referring to Busquets’ nickname. The tweet included quotes praising Busquets from several people in the game including former Spain coach Vicente del Bosque.
Busquets said in May that he would leave Barcelona in the summer at the end of his contract.
The 34-year-old made 143 appearances for Spain before announcing his retirement from the team in December.
Busquets has been a central part of Barcelona’s successes in the past 15 years, including nine Spanish league titles and three Champions League triumphs.
Busquets played as pivot behind Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez in an iconic midfield trio, and the three of them also won the World Cup with Spain in 2010.
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said this week that the club expected to make between three to five new signings to join Messi.
“We’ve been preparing our roster for Messi’s arrival in ‘23, so we left an enormous amount of flexibility,” Mas told the Herald.
“We will be making additional signings during the summer window, more than what people anticipate... I can say we will potentially be making between three and five signings.”
Busquets is likely to occupy one of the three ‘Designated Player’ spots, an MLS designation for high-earning players, whose wages do not count against the salary cap.
Inter Miami have also been linked with another Spain and Barcelona favorite, left-back Jordi Alba.
Busquets joining Messi at Inter Miami
https://arab.news/mzusp
Busquets joining Messi at Inter Miami
- Messi said earlier this month he was moving to Miami and he will now be re-united with his former Barca team-mate Busquets
- Inter Miami posted a tweeted heralding the arrival of the player
Spain will host 2030 World Cup final, says RFEF president
- Louzan did not say whether the match would be played at Santiago Bernabeu or Camp Nou
- Once completed in late 2028, the new stadium in Morocco is expected to hold 115,000 spectators
MADRID: Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzan has said that Spain will stage the final of the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Morocco wants to stage the game in Casablanca at the Grand Stade Hassan II, a huge stadium currently under construction north of the city.
“Spain has proven its organizational capacity over many years. It will be the leader of the 2030 World Cup and the final of that World Cup will be held here,” Louzan said late on Monday at an event organized by the Madrid Sports Press Association.
Louzan did not say whether the match would be played at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu or Barcelona’s Camp Nou, the two leading candidates.
Once completed in late 2028, the new stadium in Morocco is expected to hold 115,000 spectators. Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) President Faouzi Lekjaa last year expressed his wish to see a final against Spain in Casablanca.
Louzan also alluded to the challenges Morocco faced during its hosting of the last Africa Cup of Nations, including the chaotic scenes during the final between Senegal and Morocco this month.
That match, which Senegal won 1-0, was overshadowed by fan disruptions and player protests that temporarily halted play.
“Morocco is really undergoing a transformation in every sense, with magnificent stadiums,” Louzan said. “We must recognize what has been done well. But in the Africa Cup of Nations, we have seen scenes that damage the image of world football.”
FIFA and the Portuguese and Moroccan football federations have not responded to requests for comment on the final’s location.
FIFA told Reuters last year it was premature to decide the venue for the 2030 final, saying the host city for the 2026 World Cup final was revealed only two years before the tournament. World soccer’s ruling body has the final say on where the match will be played.
