Jordi Alba has signed a contract extension with Inter Miami.

The fresh terms will take the former Spain and Barcelona full-back, 36, through the 2027 MLS season, and The Athletic can confirm that Alba’s extension is a Designated Player deal, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the agreement.

“I’m happy to renew my contract because I have the desire to continue competing, and because of how I feel at the club, with the affection I receive from fans at every match,” Alba said upon the announcement of his renewal.

“I’ve been very comfortable these past two years at the club, and I feel very loved by all the fans. We have that desire to continue competing, to continue winning, and, hopefully, win as many titles as possible.”

Alba joined Miami — and former team-mates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets — in July 2023 before, joined by another in Luis Suarez, he helped the club to their first Supporters’ Shield in 2024. Miami fell in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. He has played 17 times in all competitions this season.

Alba won La Liga six times as a Barcelona player while also winning the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup once and the Copa del Rey seven times.

The Athletic reported last month that Messi is close to an agreement over his own contract extension, which would see the Argentina forward lead his side into their new home at Miami Freedom Park next year.

Messi, Alba and Busquets are Miami’s current DPs, with each MLS team allotted a maximum of three such players.

‘Alba is still an elite defender in MLS’

Miami as a whole have faltered recently and they’ve been defensively unsound all year, with Alba shouldering some of the blame. Despite that, he is still an elite defender in MLS, often calm and composed on a Miami backline that so frequently looks out of sorts.

Alba’s real contributions, though, have come going forward. During the club’s record-breaking run to the Supporters’ Shield in 2024 he notched 21 assists across all competitions and 20 goal contributions. He’s added another five in 2025.

Alba passes the eye test as well, given his unmistakable dynamic with Messi. In Miami, Messi is drowning in former teammates. His on-field relationship with Alba, though, remains the most easily recognizable.

During their entire stay in MLS, the two have seemed on the same page, a tool Miami might find valuable as they try and navigate their way back to the top of the table.