Between 2014 and 2018, Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba all played together for Barcelona.

Now they are all working together at Inter Miami.

This will be a second full season at the club for Messi, one of football’s all-time greats, who joined midway through the 2023 season.

He is the club’s ‘all-time’ top scorer with 34 goals – although they only started playing matches in 2020.

Mascherano, who last managed Argentina’s Olympics team, took charge in the off-season, replacing Gerardo Martino – who was Barca boss in 2013-14.

Last season, Suarez scored 25 goals and Messi, who had an injury-hit campaign and only played 25 times, netted 23.

The club were controversially allowed into this summer’s Club World Cup after topping the MLS league at the end of the regular season.

But the MLS champions are actually the team who win the post-season play-offs – with Miami going out in the first round.

Can Mascherano help their stars win their first MLS title? They will have to juggle that with the Concacaf Champions Cup, Fifa Club World Cup and Leagues Cup.