Lionel Messi will face his former club PSG for the first time on Sunday (June 29) as Inter Miami takes on the French giants in the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atalanta.
The clash is one of the most talked-about fixtures of the tournament, as the Argentine icon comes up against a team that once hoped he would help them conquer Europe.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s two-year stint at PSG brought two Ligue 1 titles and 32 goals across all competitions, yet, his time in Paris remains underwhelming in the eyes of many, as the club failed to win the UEFA Champions League, the trophy that mattered most to them.
Messi joined Paris with a lot of expectations after leaving Barcelona in 2021 due to financial challenges, but while there were glimpses of greatness, Messi’s first season in the French capital yielded only 11 goals.
He left at the end of 2023, having secured silverware but never quite settling.
Since arriving in Miami, Messi looks like a different man, with him reuniting with longtime teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Inter Miami has grown into a more dangerous team under his influence.
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PSG, meanwhile, are fresh off a historic treble, including their long-awaited Champions League crown. They have scored six goals through six different players in this tournament and conceded just once in their last five matches.
PSG star has something to say about Lionel Messi
Speaking to Journalists before the upcoming showdown PSG midfielder Desire Doue shared his admiration for Messi .
“He’s a GOAT, he made football history, he’s a player who inspired me a lot,” said the 20-year-old. “We’ll be talking about him in 20, 30, 50 years, that’s for sure.”
Doue also acknowledged the danger Inter Miami poses. “They’re a team with a lot of quality, a lot of experience with some very great players, so they’re going to cause us problems. But our goal will be to play our football.”
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