Barcelona legend Jordi Alba practiced with Inter Miami for the first after finally joining the team following the birth of his third child.
Alba was officially announced shortly before Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami debut in the Leagues Cup against Cruz Azul.
His arrival on a free transfer comes after his Barcelona contract was terminated by mutual agreement in May.
Following Messi’s announcement that he was going to join Miami, the franchise was linked with the additions of several ex-La Liga players along with Alba, including Luis Suarez and Sergio Ramos.
Suarez is now set to depart Gremio after joining in January although it is unknown if he will in fact link up with his former Barcelona teammates in Miami.
Jordi Alba practiced with Inter Miami for the first time after finally joining his teammates
The Spaniard was officially announced shortly before Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami debut
Alba was pictured talking to Miami head coach Tata Martino (right) during the training session
Ramos has also seen a rise in links between himself and LAFC and could reignite his rivalry with Messi from his Real Madrid days rather than joining forces with him like they did at Paris Saint-Germain.
On Saturday, the 2014-15 Champions League winner shared a snap of himself on a private plane, while holding his large dog on Instagram, as he prepared for take-off from Barcelona.
‘Here we go!’ he wrote as a caption to the post.
Alba’s family also wished him a good trip, with the player sharing a picture of himself saying goodbye to his three children, Piero, Bruna and newborn Paolo on Instagram.
‘Have a safe trip dad,’ reads the post’s caption. ‘Soon we will all be together. We love you! Go for it!!’
Alba’s wife, Romarey Ventura, who is also an internet personality in Spain, gave birth to the pair’s youngest child, Paolo, roughly 10 days ago.
It was widely speculated at the time that that was the reason for the player’s move being delayed until now.
Alba has made 93 international appearances for Spain and was part of the squad which won Euro 2012, despite his omission from the national team’s 2010 World Cup winning squad under then-manager Vincente Del Bosque.
The player also holds an option to extend his Inter Miami contract until 2025.
Alba’s arrival may have once again left the rest of Miami’s locker room starstruck in a similar fashion to the way Robert Taylor recently revealed Messi and Busquets arrival did.
‘Everyone was a bit starstruck,’ Taylor said, while speaking to the Miami Hearld, of being around Messi and Busquets when they first joined the team back in June.
Alba’s contract with Barcelona was terminated in May after 11 years at the club (seen in June)
Alba was also given a farewell by his wife and three kids, with the youngest born 10 days ago
Alba will link up with his fellow ex-Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets
‘Of course, the first time I saw Messi in the changing room, I was like, ‘Whoa, like, this is crazy,’ but I was never intimidated by him, or Busquets because they are such nice guys, always smiling.’
‘If anything, it just makes me so excited to come to training every morning knowing that I can train with these players and be around them and they can make me a better player.’
‘Most of the players would agree that it’s just exciting. Everyone wants to play with the best players in the world. And we are privileged enough to be able to do that.’
Alba will have his first chance to take the field with his new teammates Wednesday August 2 when they play Orlando City FC in the Leagues Cup.
