Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets were both picked to Inter Miami CF’s starting lineup for the first time since joining the MLS club on Tuesday night.

It didn’t take long for the former Barcelona teammates to have an impact, with Busquets lofting a brilliant ball over Atlanta’s defenders to Messi, who missed his initial attempt but knocked back the rebound from his own shot in the eighth minute to give Miami a 1-0 lead.

Messi then scored on a counter-attack in the 22nd minute, doubling the lead with an assist from Robert Taylor, who subsequently scored Miami’s third goal to put the club up 3-0 at halftime.

The former Barcelona colleagues were making their maiden appearance in a Miami jersey in a League Cup match against Atlanta United FC at DRV PNK stadium. The two made their debuts as replacements in a drɑmɑtic triumph over Cruz Azul on Friday, which Messi won on the final ƙicƙ.

The match is also Miami manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s debut versus Atlanta, whom he led to the MLS Cup triumph in 2018. Martino, who took over as coach of the Miami Heat on June 28, stated on Monday that Messi would be the team’s captain against Atlanta and in the future.

Last Friday, Messi delivered a characteristic moment of magic to give Miami a 2-1 victory, striking a free ƙicƙ from well outside the penalty area into the top corner to put an end to the epic narrative that saw him eventually sign with co-owner David Beckham’s MLS team.

Miami and Atlanta are now competing in the inaugural Leagues Cup, a World Cup-style competition involving MLS and Liga MX teams. Messi might make his formal MLS debut on Aug. 20 against Charlotte at home.

Another former Barcelona player who will have to wait for his debut is Jordi Alba, who joined Miami on July 20 but was not featured on Miami’s roster list for the game.