Miami face Vancouver as Alba and long-time teammate Sergio Busquets prepare to end their careers with what they hope will be a bang and a final trophy for their enormous cabinet.
The left-back made an impressive 459 appearances for Barcelona and won 22 career trophies, he spoke about what the final means to him as he aims to lift one final piece of silverware.
“I knew this would be a new experience, but an appealing one,” he said. “I reunited with former teammates, and it’s clear how much the club has grown. Reaching a final is historic for Inter Miami, and while I’ve been fortunate to play many of them, this one is special because it will be my last. It’s a final — there are no favorites — but if we perform well, we’ll have our chances.
“It’s different because I know it’s my last game,” he explained. “Of course it’s important - it’s a final - but it means even more for the club. No matter what happens, I’m leaving afterward. Hopefully, I can leave with a trophy. Busi is in the same situation as me.
“I don’t know how I’ll process it because you only feel those emotions in the moment. My last game with Barcelona was very emotional, but this isn’t just changing teams - it’s not playing anymore, and that makes it even bigger.
“It’s an honor to end my career with a final here,” he said. “It’s been a tough week emotionally. I’ll miss the game, but I never doubted my decision. Once I made it, it was firm and fully thought out. Now I hope the final goes our way.”
Despite Alba and Busquets waving goodbye, their former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi will not be hanging up his boots anytime soon. The 38-year-old Argentina captain showed pride at the prospect of taking part in next year's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where he seeks to lead his country to success once again ahead of his 39th birthday.