Lionel Messi set to face former Barcelona teammate as Sergi Roberto reportedly nears MLS move

Sergi Roberto is closing in on a move to the MLS, but instead of reuniting with Lionel Messi in Inter Miami, he’ll be lining up as his rival. According to Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto, negotiations between the Spanish midfielder and the LA Galaxy have advanced significantly, with a deal potentially being finalized soon.

The Los Angeles club is working to close the signing as quickly as possible, with Roberto set to begin a new chapter after two seasons at Como, where he made 37 appearances under Cesc Fabregas, scoring once and adding an assist. The Catalan midfielder did not reach an agreement to renew his contract with the Italian club, leaving him a free agent.

Should the move go through, Roberto would reunite with a pair of familiar faces at Galaxy: Riqui Puig, his former Barcelona teammate and Hirving Lozano, who recently arrived on loan from San Diego FC. The Galaxy currently sit 12th in the Western Conference and are banking on both additions to provide an immediate boost in their push for a playoff spot.

At 34, Roberto arrives in MLS as a decorated veteran and a Barcelona icon, forever remembered for scoring the goal that completed the club’s stunning 6-1 comeback against PSG in the 2016-17 Champions League Round of 16.

He had once been strongly linked with a reunion with Messi at Inter Miami, but that move never materialized — and now, rather than sharing a locker room with his old captain, he could be facing him from the opposite dugout.

A decade together in Barcelona

The Spanish defender and Messi were Barcelona teammates for roughly 11 years, from Roberto’s first-team debut in November 2010 until Messi’s departure for PSG in August 2021.

Over 14 seasons at the club in total, Roberto won 25 trophies — including two Champions Leagues and seven LaLiga titles — with the vast majority of that haul coming during the years he shared a dressing room with Messi, then the driving force behind Barcelona’s golden era.