Lionel Messi's past and present collide as Inter Miami faces PSG in Club World Cup

Miami Herald

9 hours ago

Lionel Messi heads back to Atlanta this weekend with his Inter Miami teammates to face European champion Paris Saint-Germain, and his past, in a Club World Cup Round of 16 game that is loaded with compelling storylines.
It will be the first time Messi plays against a former club; and when he left there in the summer of 2023 to join Miami, it was not on the friendliest of terms.
PSG coach Luis Enrique will reunite with his former FC Barcelona players Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano, who is now the Inter Miami coach and considers Enrique a mentor and close friend.
The fact that Miami advanced to this match at all is a story in and of itself. Just one month ago, the team was mired in a seven-game slump during which it managed just one win and conceded 20 goals.
Fans ranged from depressed to outraged, some called for coach Javier Mascherano to be fired, and Messi was visibly frustrated, too, leaving back-to-back games with yellow cards after arguments with referees.
That rough patch feels far back in the rear-view mirror as the men in pink continue their improbable run in the $1 billion Club World Cup.
Miami heads into Sunday's match after finishing runner-up in Group A with ties against Egyptian champion Al Ahly and Brazilian power Palmeiras at Hard Rock Stadium and a victory over 30-time Portuguese champion Porto at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they will play PSG.
By advancing to the knockout stage, Inter Miami has already earned $21.05 million in prize money: $9.55 million participation fee, $2 million for a group stage win, $2 million for two group stage ties, and $7.5 million for reaching Round of 16. If they pull off the unthinkable and beat PSG on Sunday, they will add another $13.1 million to their club coffers for reaching the quarterfinals.
But facing PSG is, by far, the most daunting challenge Miami has faced in its short six-year history.
PSG thumped Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final a few weeks ago. Its roster includes 18 national team players, including Desire Doue (France), Ousmane Dembele (France), Vitinha (Portugal), Joao Neves (Portugal), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Nuno Mendes (Portugal), Willian Pacho (Ecuador), Bradley Barcola (France) and Marquinhos (Brazil).
The Paris heavyweight routed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opening game, suffered a shocking 1-0 upset by Brazilian club Botafogo in their second match, and then beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to clinch first place in the group.
Much of the credit for the Paris team's recent success has gone to Enrique, the 55-year-old Spaniard who coached Spain in the 2022 World Cup and then joined PSG in July 2023, just after Messi left for Miami.
'I've said it many times; for me, he's the best, not just on the football side, but also how he manages the group,' said Alba, who also played for Enrique on the Spanish national team.
'He's phenomenal. I'm excited to see him, as well as Rafel Pol, Joaquín Valdés, all their staff, and sharing with them well. It's 90 minutes, and we should be proud of how we've competed in these three games. Now, let's compete against PSG. I'll give him a hug, but when the opening whistle blows, I'll try to beat him, which is what all of us here are trying to do.'
Suarez, who was named Man of the Match for his goal and assist in the 2-2 tie with Palmeiras on Monday, called Enrique one of the two most important coaches of his career, along with Oscar Tabarez of the Uruguay national team.
'He's a coach who influenced me greatly,' Suarez said. 'I already had a competitive DNA, but he injected even more into me. He taught me how to move within space because I had to play a role I wasn't used to, not touching the ball a lot. On a personal level, I have great respect and admiration for what he generated for us as players.'
Mascherano smiled, when asked what it would be like to coach against his former Barcelona coach.
'Luis Enrique is a friend, I was lucky enough to have him as my coach for three years, and I have a special relationship with him and his family,' Mascherano said. 'It will be special to face him, a source of pride for me, although, in my opinion, with such a short coaching career, I don't deserve this opportunity just yet. I always wish him all the best, but that won't be the case on Sunday.'
The fact that the French club had its best performances after the departure of superstars Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé was mentioned quite a bit by fans and media during the recent Champions League tournament, which surely didn't sit well with the Argentine legend.
Messi left for Paris in 2021 after a tearful farewell from Barcelona when the club's financial struggles got in the way of a new contract. He has since said that he never got fully acclimated to PSG or Parisian life.
He had a strained relationship with a segment of fans who booed him at times; the club suspended him when he skipped a training session to travel to Saudi Arabia for a sponsor obligation; and the club did not publicly celebrate him when Argentina beat France in the 2022 World Cup final.
In August 2023, a month after joining Inter Miami, Messi said of his family's transition to South Florida: 'People in this city and this club have made it easy for us. The fans, the people that I meet every day on the streets… It's a spectacular city, and that's why I am happy. It's been much easier than we thought. The move from Barcelona to Paris was somewhat difficult and complicated, but this has been easy.
'It was a family decision, with my wife and kids. And I can tell you today I am very happy with the decision we made, not only from a sporting perspective, but for how my family lives every day. We are enjoying the city which has been very welcoming…and I am grateful and happy for this moment because I'm enjoying playing this game I have loved all my life.'
Messi's history with PSG will likely make him more motivated to win on Sunday, but Alba downplayed that angle.
'In the end, what Leo wants is to win games, like all great players,' Alba said. 'I know the feelings he has towards Barca, where we played together, I was not there with him at PSG, he was there for two years and only he knows what happened.
'But what is clear is that we are competing against a great team playing the best football in Europe, it's a very difficult match, but we will try to compete. Why not dream of beating the European champion?'
Sunday's game kicks off at noon and can be seen on TNT and DAZN.com in English and TUDN in Spanish.