Inter Miami champion Sergio Busquets closed on a waterfront home in Broward County on Friday, a day before winning the Leagues Cup, The Real Deal has learned.
Busquets, considered one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, paid about $8.7 million for the seven-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom house at 7 Seneca Road in Sea Ranch Lakes, sources told TRD.
The village, a small town about 5 miles away from Inter Miami’s Fort Lauderdale stadium, was rumored to be where Lionel Messi was living after he was spotted shopping at the Publix supermarket in Sea Ranch Lakes. Messi and Busquets are longtime teammates and friends.
Busquets and his wife Elena Galera acquired the 7,100-square-foot home from Renovation7 LLC, a company led by Beth and David Geduld. Beth Geduld, who designed the home, confirmed the sale, but declined to comment on the buyer. She said the sale marks a record for Sea Ranch Lakes, a mostly waterfront and gated community.
The 0.3-acre property was on the market with Veroushka Volkert of Coldwell Banker for nearly $9 million. Volkert did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The house was just completed. It has about 100 feet of frontage on Lake Seneca and includes a three-car garage, according to the listing.
Busquets played for FC Barcelona from 2008 until earlier this year, when he and Messi joined Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer team owned by brothers Jorge and Jose Mas, David Beckham and other investors. Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup final on Saturday night against Nashville SC in a penalty kick shootout to break a tie, according to USA Today.
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Inter Miami plays at Drive Pink stadium in Fort Lauderdale and trains next door at the Florida Blue Training Center. The team expects to eventually move to Miami, where its owners plan Miami Freedom Park, a massive mixed-use development that will include a soccer stadium on the city-owned Melreese Country Club property just east of Miami International Airport.
Messi’s arrival in Miami has created a huge buzz. Messi, considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time, owns three units in Sunny Isles Beach but does not appear to be living in them. He and his family have been house hunting in Broward and Palm Beach counties, brokers say.