Lionel Messi gets ready to confront previous team PSG at the Club World Cup

Inter Miami will face Paris Saint-Germain in a match where they are expected to be significant underdogs. PSG, the winners of last month’s Champions League final, defeated Inter Milan 5-0 and have a strong track record. This will be a new challenge for Lionel Messi, who is not used to being anything other than the favorite in matches.

For Messi, it will be his first time playing against his former club since leaving PSG in 2023 after two seasons.

He will also face his former Barcelona coach, Luis Enrique, who is now the head coach of PSG. Enrique had a significant impact on Messi and several Inter Miami players during his coaching tenure at Barcelona.

Enrique coached Messi for three seasons out of his 17-year stint with Barcelona. From 2014 to 2017, Enrique led Barcelona and won nine titles, including two La Liga trophies and one Champions League.

Messi, along with Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr., formed the renowned “MSN” trio under Enrique’s guidance and achieved incredible success, scoring 364 goals and creating 173 assists together.

Suarez expressed his high regard for Enrique, stating that he played a crucial role in his career and helped enhance his competitive nature.

Inter Miami players Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets also had the opportunity to be coached by Enrique, and coach Javier Mascherano considers him a close friend.

Despite facing challenges in their recent performances, Miami stood out as the only MLS team to advance to the Club World Cup round of 16 after drawing 2-2 against Palmeiras this week, clinching the runner-up position in Group A.