Inter Miami have surpassed all expectations at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 when they had two draws against Al Ahly and Palmeiras, in addition to a shocking 2-1 victory over FC Porto to qualify for the round of 16.
But the excitement after this achievement was quickly interrupted. Miami realized that they will have to face Paris St-Germain, taking place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Miami could have avoided PSG if they had maintained a 2-0 lead late in the second half in the group stage break against Palmeiras. However, a seven-minute foul and lack of concentration cost the MLS the advantage. If they win, Inter Miami will only have to face Botafogo in the round of 16 instead of the defending European champions.
When asked if Miami would like to face the Brazilian club in the knockout round, defender Noah Allen replied: "Maybe so."
For the young players in the Inter Miami squad, the upcoming match poses a scary challenge. Benjamin Cremaschi and Allen, two local players of Inter Miami, have never even played an official match against a club outside the Concacaf region ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. They will now be tasked with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele.
For Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, the match against PSG will be a competitive reunion for former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. Miami coach Rafael Mascherano was also a former student of Enrique at Blaugrana.
"Luis Enrique is probably one of the best coaches I have ever worked for in my career. Yes, he is a very important coach, not only because I learned everything from him, but he was one of the people who convinced me to stay at Barcelona" - Mascherano said about Enrique.
And for Messi, this match has another meaning. For the first time in his career, Messi will face an old club under great pressure.
The Argentine striker reluctantly joined PSG in August 2021, just a few days after saying an emotional farewell to Barcelona. Despite his desire to stay with the La Liga giants, the team's financial situation has made it impossible for him to re-sign a contract unless other players cut his salary significantly. When Barcelona could not do that, Messi was forced to find another place.
At the time, Messi admitted that PSG had met his ambitions. It will be an exciting prospect for El Pulga to partner Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in Ligue 1. But the relationship between Messi and the PSG owner changed when he made an unlicensed trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Argentine striker also revealed that he felt sad after returning from the 2022 World Cup and did not receive any recognition from PSG.
"I am the only player who has not received recognition from the club," Messi said.
Mascherano admitted that all eyes will be on Messi. "We, as Argentines, know what has been created since the 2022 World Cup. The most important thing is that Messi is playing well, he plays for us, that is what makes us feel more comfortable."
Despite winning two championships during his time at PSG, scoring 21 goals and 20 assists, Messi admitted that he had difficulty adapting to the club.
On 1 June 2023, coach Christophe Galtier announced that Messi would leave PSG. 2 days after the announcement, Messi played his last match with the club in the context of a strong reaction from fans. PSG fans mourned Messi, marking the end of a complicated period.
"I have been through two years without any luck. I am not satisfied with daily life, with training sessions, matches. I find it difficult to adapt to all that" - Messi shared about his time at PSG.
On June 8, Messi shocked the world when he revealed that he would soon join Inter Miami. Two years later, the discord between Messi and PSG still exists. Even the French newspaper L'Equipe angered many people when printing Messi on the cover of an imprint with the words: "Not everything is forgiven".
Mascherano are looking forward to a passionate performance from El Pulga. " Obviously for us, it would be better if he was angry, because he is one of the players, when he has something on his mind, he will try his best," Mascherano told ESPN.
The match against PSG also marked the first time Messi has actually entered the round of 16 of a tournament as a clearly disadvantaged team. But despite that, Inter Miami are still not afraid to dream big.
"For me, PSG is the best team playing football today. They are very versatile, with very good wingers and excellent midfielders. I think they are the most perfect team, and let's see how far we can go" - Alba added.
