When Lionel Messi eventually settles in at Inter Miami, Sergio Busquets will bring a little bit of the old Costa del Garraf life to him. Everyone needs nice neighbors, and the two spent more than ten years living next to each other while they were dating in Barcelona.

One of Messi’s many benefits at Barca was being able to live in the peaceful beach village of Gava, from which he could commute each day to Castelldefels to do business or drop his kids off at school without ever encountering any bothersome neighbors.

Over the years, they had grown so accustomed to seeing him that they were pleased to have treated him like any other resident.

In Les Botigues de Sitges, which is close by, Busquets lived a similar beautiful life. He could leave the gated security of the upscale Rat Penat neighborhood where he lived with his family and enter the town without fear of being followed.

The Messi clan (left) and the Busquets family (right) are set to be reunited at Inter Miami

Messi’s wife Antonella Roccuzzo (L) and Busquets’ partner Elena Galera (R) are close friends

Together, the Argentine and the Spaniard achieved remarkable success at Barcelona for more than ten years.

Barbecue gatherings were frequently held between the Messi family and the Busquets family to welcome new members to the team or commemorate birthdays. With the wives of Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and temporarily Philippe Coutinho and Cesc Fabregas, a group was created that was bound to reunite in the future, whether it be after retirement or while playing on another continent.

For a moment, it even appeared possible that they would reunite and play together at Barca. This summer, when Messi attempted to go back to Barcelona, the two men prepared for the possibility of returning to their previous way of life.

There were even suggestions that Messi had pre-enrolled his children in the same school attended by Busquet’s children Enzo and Levi.

The idea of seeing his team-mate at the school gates, as had happened previously when they played for the same team, did not last long because as is now well documented the club did not have the money to sign Messi, even after Busquets had left, much less pay both of them.

But the two had a long-held pact, made before the player left for France to sign for Paris Saint-Germain, and it was re-stated many times over at reunion meals since his departure: they had vowed that they would play together again in the same team, and that is exactly what will now happen in Miami.

Busquets arrived at La Masia several years after Messi in 2005. In 2007, he played for Pep Guardiola in the club’s B team helping them win promotion from the third tier.

Messi had already graduated to the first team where he had won a league and a Champions League under Frank Rijkaard. But in 2008 Busquets and Messi found themselves on the training pitch together for the first time.

Guardiola had been promoted to first-team coach at Barcelona and he had taken Busquets with him. ‘This one is good’ said Messi to Guardiola when he first spotted the spindly holding midfielder on the training ground. A footballing bond was instantly formed and the off-the-field connection would soon follow.

The closeness of the relationship was cemented by the way their wives became good friends

The 2022 World Cup winner is headed to the MLS after confirming his decision to join Miami

Busquets’ children and Messi’s sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro (pictured) are also friends

Busquets will be 35 on July 16, this year. Messi turned 36 last Saturday. With just a year between them they found that they had much in common. There were also common personality traits.

They were both quiet and reserved but neither minded having more ebullient personalities around them. Busquets famously got on well with Diego Costa when he joined the Spain squad as an outsider ‘signed’ by the Spanish FA from Brazil. Likewise many at Barcelona wondered how Messi would take to Suarez but the pair became inseparable after he signed from Liverpool.

Over the years, Messi and Busquets evolved to share the same laid-back outlooks and receptivity to football’s bigger, more boisterous personalities.

Additionally, the two were equally preoccupied with football to the exclusion of all other endeavors. Messi’s forays into business outside of football have typically been motivated by his family, especially his father Jorge.

Due to the fact that most modern athletes now invest their money in other endeavors and lack such motivational factors, Busquets takes even longer to complete tasks. In recent years, he has invested in the local food brand Heura and the pastry company Manolo Bakes.

Their wives became close friends with one another served to further solidify their friendship. Elena Galera and Antonella Roccuzzo are friends, so when the latter was feeling lonely in Paris, where the Messi family was never quite at home, she took some time off to go see the former.

Now that they are back at the same club, that friendship may be continued, as can the one between the kids of Busquets and the sons of Messi, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro. The most significant aspect for Inter Miami is that on the field, “fathers reunited” is taking place.

Busquets’ Barcelona debut occurred in 2008 without Lionel Messi on the roster. Guardiola left after his first game as manager of Barcelona ended in a 1-0 defeat on the road.