Messi's Miami and PSG progress to set up Club World Cup reunion

Each of Lionel Messi’s birthdays has a tale attached; each lap around the sun tells the story in statistics. He seemingly defies the physics of time: hours before his 38th birthday, the legendary Argentine pulled off yet another feat on the biggest stage of club football by helping to guide Inter Miami into the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup on Monday.

In front of thousands of home fans, Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras to go through second in Group A, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot. They now face an all-Brazil clash against Botafogo, who lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid but progressed from Group B in second at the expense of the Spaniards.

Champions of Europe PSG won the group with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders, paving the way for the clash with Messi and surprise package Miami. Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez had Miami on course for a second victory in the tournament after their shock win over Porto.

But Palmeiras struck twice in the last 10 minutes at Hard Rock Stadium through Paulinho and Mauricio to ensure they went through. Suarez, Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Miami coach Javier Mascherano will also face their former coach Luis Enrique, who guided them to the treble when in charge at Barcelona in 2015.

“We were up to the task in all three group games," said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. "We came into the tournament as the underdogs but thanks to our hard work, we have managed to overcome the obstacles. We’ve earned the right to play against the European champions PSG."

As always, Messi, affectionately known as 'La Pulgla', or 'the flea', was his team’s creative leader. Buoyed by securing the first – and so far only – victory for a Major League Soccer side at a FIFA club tournament, the talismanic Messi was surrounded by trusted allies with Oscar Ustari between the sticks, Federico Redondo in midfield alongside former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets and with Luis Suarez up front. The Uruguayan hitman, who offered a masterclass in hold-up play, capped his night with a breath-taking goal.

The clash between Miami and PSG will be a meeting of past and present for Messi. Following his shock departure from Barcelona in August 2021, he moved to PSG in one of the biggest transfers in the history of the game. With the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on the French capital club’s books, PSG’s ambitious project seemed to know no limits.

Expectations around the trio were sky-high, but so too were the risks. In the end, the result was underwhelming. Messi won two Ligue 1 titles and a Trophee des Champions with the French outfit, but the star-studded squad failed to deliver on the continental stage. But Messi would not be kept down, inspiring Argentina to victory over France in a spectacular final at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Six months after that triumph, he ended his stint at the Parc des Princes with 32 goals, 34 assists and three titles in 75 games before heading to Florida.

“It would be nice to meet Messi again,” said PSG full-back Achraf Hakimi after the Parisians’ win over Seattle Sounders FC. “We spent two years together. There were many beautiful moments. But then, on the field, there are no friends. He will try to win and we will also try to win. We will give everything to try to pass to the next round.”
For the iconic superstar, the blockbuster bout will be a reunion with several former team-mates and coach Luis Enrique, under whom he won the Champions League during their days together at Barcelona in 2014-15. The Spanish tactician, who recently led PSG to their first-ever crown in Europe’s elite club competition, will also face other players from that unforgettable Barça side: Mascherano, Busquets, Suarez and Jordi Alba, who were part of the starting line-up in the Champions League final against Juventus in Berlin in 2015.

“Facing Messi? It would be amazing for us, for me,” said Gianluigi Donnarumma. “I spent two fantastic years at PSG with him, we played with the best player in the world. But I hope we win, because he has already won many trophies!"

With Messi as the main attraction, Inter Miami will look to pull off another headline-grabbing upset on the world stage. “It’s incredible how much he loves this sport and how freely he plays,” stressed Mascherano. Alba, Messi’s partner in crime from their days at the Camp Nou, added: “He’s capable of carrying on for many more years, up until his body, or he himself decides. He still plays like he’s a young lad and continues to make the difference.”



"We're talking about the champions of Europe. We know many of their players and their coach, who I was lucky enough to have coach me, and I've always said he is the best in the world," said Alba. "I will connect with good friends there but once the game starts, we will compete, try to beat them, and why can't we do it? This is football."
Mascherano said Miami's progress had elevated Major League Soccer. "It's a historic night for MLS, because we are into the best 16 teams in the world. All of the MLS has to be proud of Inter Miami," he said.

Mascherano knows just how tough the challenge will be of facing a PSG team who are coming off the back of winning their first UEFA Champions League title and who did well to recover from defeat against Botafogo to qualify for the second round. "We know that we are going to face maybe the best team in Europe. It will be difficult but we will try to do our best," Mascherano added. "We are going to try to show our quality and to try to prove our worth."

Portuguese side Porto and Egypt's Al Ahly were eliminated after a thrilling 4-4 draw which was not enough for either team to overhaul Palmeiras or Miami. European champions PSG bounced back from their surprise defeat by Botafogo with a comfortable win in Seattle. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as the Ligue 1 champions advanced as group winners because of Botafogo's late defeat to Atletico Madrid in Pasadena.

"It wasn't easy because the pitch was very different to what we are used to in Europe so we couldn't play with the fluidity that we like, but we adapted," said PSG coach Enrique. PSG top scorer Ousmane Dembele played no part for a third game running after travelling to the tournament with an injury.