Inter Miami have gone from being known as little more than David Beckham legacy project to the most popular MLS team on the planet in the space of just 11 months, all thanks to their capture of Barcelona legend Lionel Messi. The World Cup winner completed a free transfer to Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain last summer, turning his back on European football after almost two decades of unprecedented success and adulation, but instantly made it clear he wasn't in the United States to wind down towards retirement.
With the help of former Blaugrana teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Messi went on to inspire Miami to its first-ever piece of silverware in the 2023 Leagues Cup, and although the team missed out on the MLS playoffs as the Argentine struggled with a series of injuries, the foundations were put in place for a very bright future.
Tata Martino was able to add another seven new players to his squad in the 2024 primary transfer window, including another Barcelona icon in the form of Luis Suarez and Paraguay international Matias Roja, which has only increased the level of expectation at DRV PNK Stadium.
Miami's all-star side, who might as well be called 'The Florida Globetrotters' at this point, have lived up to the hype in the early stages of the 2024 season. They are sitting top of the Eastern Conference after 12 games, mainly thanks to Messi's brilliance, and will believe they can go on and lift the MLS Cup come November.
However, the Herons may need a bit more depth to achieve that goal, and while they currently don't have any more international roster spots left to fill, that doesn't mean that they couldn't maneuver themselves into a position to pick up another high-profile name.
GOAL takes a look at Inter Miami's potential summer targets, starting with one of Messi's former foes...