On June 19, 2023, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas sent the internet into a frenzy when he tweeted "#nocaptionneeded" with a photo of three nameless pink jerseys over the words "Coming Soon" and "Si."
Lionel Messi had already announced his impending arrival to Major League Soccer, but no one expected Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to join their former Barcelona teammate in South Florida as well. In the span of five days, Miami announced the signings of the three Barcelona legends and thereby ushered in a glamorous new chapter for the club.
By Aug. 2, the three were on the field together for the first time since their days at Camp Nou, leading Inter to a 3-1 victory over Orlando City in the inaugural Leagues Cup tournament. In December, Luis Suárez was reunited with his fellow Blaugrana alums at Chase Stadium and Inter Miami's Fantastic Four quickly became a force to be reckoned with.
While the team managed to win the 2023 Leagues Cup, the 2024 Supporters' Shield and set the record for most points in a single MLS season, Miami has fallen short of its ultimate ambition: MLS Cup.
Now, with Alba and Busquets set to retire following the end of the 2025 campaign -- and Messi's Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul freshly signed from Atlético Madrid -- Inter's Fantastic Four have one final opportunity to lift the biggest trophy that has so far eluded them before the sun sets on this historic chapter for the club.
"We definitely want to win [MLS Cup] for them," said defender Noah Allen.
Big talents, bigger expectations
Before donning the Miami pink, the Fantastic Four made football history with Barcelona. With Alba on the left of defense, Busquets in midfield, Messi free to roam the final third and Suárez finishing chances, the quartet won four LaLiga titles, four Copas del Rey, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.
"The first assist I gave him was at Osasuna's stadium when we won [2-1, in October 2012], and since then I think we have understood each other very well," Alba said of playing with Messi. "Because of his characteristics of the game, he cuts inside and finds me. That pass from behind which we've recreated many times. The timing between us, which still exists, worked perfectly."
By 2020, the group began to disintegrate: Suárez was pushed out of Barça and joined Atlético, and Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain a year later. Mas, though, was determined to give the quartet one final run together, reuniting them in South Florida.
Inter Miami 2.0, led by Messi and backed up by Alba, Busquets and Suárez, could now be unleashed in a league that continues to operate a level or two below the world's greatest.
Beyond an opportunity to allow these players and their fans an opportunity to reminisce on good times, Mas wanted to mimic the success the Fantastic Four had in Barcelona, but this time in the iconic pink jerseys. Mas accomplished his goals in several aspects, setting attendance records across MLS (the Herons' visit to Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium in 2024 yielded the fourth-largest crowd in league history), reaching new heights of revenue (with figures quadrupling between 2022 and 2024, the club estimated) and establishing the club as a global brand. On the field, though, the team failed to grow at the same exponential rate.
Messi, Busquets and Alba joined Miami too late into the 2023 MLS campaign to drag the club into the playoffs, missing out on a first crack at the MLS Cup despite riding a wave of momentum after their Leagues Cup triumph. They won four of their first six regular-season contests after their midseason tournament win, pairing that form with a trip to the U.S. Open Cup final, but three draws and three defeats from their final six matches relegated them to a 14th-place finish in the Eastern Conference -- nine points adrift of the final postseason berth.
When the Fantastic Four did get their first taste of the MLS Cup playoffs, the glare of the postseason spotlight shone a little too brightly. Atlanta United, who finished the 2024 regular season 34 points adrift of the Herons, shocked the league by ousting the favorites for the title in Round 1 with a 2-1 win at home in Game 2 and a decisive 3-2 comeback victory on the road in Game 3.
"It was a good season, but what we wanted was to win this more. In my opinion, I am not the one who is going to change now. This format seems a little unfair to me," Alba said in 2024 of the playoff format.
On the field, the 2025 campaign provided Inter with more opportunities than ever to compete for silverware, participating in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and MLS. Off the field, Mas and ownership provided the players with the tools necessary to win by leading the league in spending at $48.97 million, $18.87 million more than second-place LAFC.
The Herons, against the riches of European giants like PSG, Real Madrid and Chelsea, were never serious contenders for the Club World Cup, but they were the only MLS team to make it to the knockout rounds. Closer to home, they ultimately lost the Leagues Cup final to the Seattle Sounders and fell short in the Champions Cup semifinal series against the Vancouver Whitecaps -- both in frustrating fashion.
Fifty-six games into this season -- the most by an MLS team in a year -- Inter Miami still have nothing to show for their largesse beyond a third-place finish in the East. Individually, Messi clinched the Golden Boot and earned a nomination for the MVP award, but he alone cannot write the legacy of Miami's Fantastic Four chapter.
Time is running out and history, for better or worse, is being written.
Although Miami won the first Round 1 game against Nashville SC, the best-of-three series is now tied after the Herons fell 2-1 at GEODIS Park on Saturday night. As it did a year ago, it will all come down to the decisive third match at Chase Stadium as the 2020 expansion cousins look to earn a ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
As ghosts of seasons past threaten to haunt Inter, the Fantastic Four have one final opportunity to achieve what was promised: an MLS Cup. With the retirement of the two iconic former Spain internationals looming, Inter Miami have one last chance to dictate the legacy of Miami 2.0 under the marquee of Messi, Alba, Suárez and Busquets.
Suddenly, the final game of the Round 1 series carries the weight of not just an entire season, but years' worth of expectations that were the strings attached to such monumental signings.
"Yeah [it's a failure for if Inter Miami don't win MLS Cup]. We have high expectations for ourselves," Allen said. "It's not a sense of urgency. There's not a panic or anything. It's more of a motivation, right? ... [The playoff format is] not traditional, some players may agree, some players may not agree, but we have to do it. We have to win two games."
Miami's future goes beyond the Fantastic Four
It's not just Messi and Suárez who wish to send off Alba and Busquets into retirement with one more trophy lifted together, the entire roster has come together for one specific purpose. Although players like Allen and Yannick Bright don't boast the decade-long history with Alba and Busquets like Messi or Suárez, several of the club's younger figures feel indebted to the Spaniards for their contributions.
Alba and Busquets not only chose to spend the final chapter of their careers reliving the glory days with old teammates, but inspire a new generation of Herons on and off the field.
"More than the career I've had, I take with me the great teammates I have had and the words they have for me. In that aspect, I have always tried to help to the maximum. I was young and had the veterans' help, and that left a mark on me, so from there on I tried to give the advice I have and give my perspective," Alba said. "I try to give that to the young players, help them, and there are young players of all types. I came here and tried to help everything, but Noah [Allen], for example, plays my position and I see myself reflected in him. He has a huge future."
Allen, an Inter Miami homegrown player who worked himself up from the academy to an integral part of the backline, could not recount just one story when asked about the impact Alba has had on his career. The player initially smiled at the question, innocently insisting he has one anecdote for every day the two spend together on the field before expressing his gratitude.
"Jordi [Alba] has been one of the most important teammates in my life; I am so grateful to learn from him," Allen said. "We definitely want to win [MLS Cup] for them."
Bright, a midfielder acquired in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, never dared to dream about sharing the pitch with a player he labeled one of the greatest midfielders in the game. Prior to signing with the Herons, he immigrated to the United States from Italy to study and play soccer for the University of New Hampshire, as teenagers around the world do. Suddenly, Bright was presented the opportunity to play full time and learn from some of the sport's most successful players.
The 'Futbol Americas' crew react to Javier Mascherano's post-match press conference as Inter Miami lose 2-1 to Nashville SC in the MLS.
"I am just a normal guy. I came to the U.S. to study, but throughout work and resilience, I made it. I wasn't supposed to play soccer and ended up getting a deal at Inter Miami, playing with the best of the best," Bright said. "Busquets is a great professional, that's what I admire most about him. He literally doesn't miss anything. He's perfect in everything he does. It's not replaceable. We will try to win it for them."
Each player, one way or another, has expressed the desire to have Alba and Busquets end their careers on a high note with MLS Cup in hand. Every individual boasts a particular reason, some for old time's sake and others as one final thank you, but all bonded by the same purpose.
"I hope it's also an extra motivation to be able to help Busquets finish his career in the best possible way," manager Javier Mascherano said. "So, to enjoy his last moments in professional football, hopefully it will be until December, and that it will be in the best way."
With the chance to win one last trophy together, this phase of Inter Miami will soon come to an end. The Herons are deemed one of the best teams in MLS simply by their roster, but this chapter of the club's history will be judged by their triumphs and failures.
But as De Paul explained, the best don't always win.
"I have confidence in my team -- we have the best of all time, and well, we're really excited -- but football doesn't always [reward] the best or the one who deserves it most," he said. "We have to keep that percentage of luck as low as possible, and whatever work it takes, give everything we have to do our best so that the playoffs go our way."
Inter Miami are aligned and motivated to send Alba and Busquets riding off into the sunset with one last piece of silverware in tow, but failing to get over that playoff hump will not only end their decorated careers with a whimper, but call into question the squad-building blueprint of one of the most illustrious and expensive teams in MLS history.