Lionel Messi is not just a serial winner, but a box-office talent and a consistent crowd-pleaser. The Argentine is a fitting poster boy for an Inter Miami CF side that are firmly in the spotlight at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, where they are flying the flag for the host nation.
With his 38th birthday coming up next week, La Pulga is shining proof of the adages that age is nothing but a number and class is permanent. From outside-of-the-boot passes through dangerous strikes and trademark darts into space to devilish dribbles, the Argentina captain displayed his full repertoire against Al Ahly FC. The only thing missing was a goal and, with FC Porto and SE Palmeiras also having played out a 0-0 stalemate, Group A remains as evenly poised as it gets.
It is not just fans who relish feasting their eyes on Messi, but those who truly know the score too: players past and present, including former team-mates and illustrious alumni of the clubs that he has graced over the course of his career. Inter Miami’s opener against the Egyptian giants at Hard Rock Stadium was a perfect excuse for us – and them – to marvel at Messi’s game-changing magic yet again.
Hristo Stoichkov, who made waves at the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ (held in the United States, like this year’s inaugural club showpiece) and also featured at the 1998 competition, was not about to miss the opportunity. “What more can we say about a legend like Messi? He just wants to enjoy his football and win. Lionel always has a winning mentality,” Stoichkov told FIFA. “Everyone knows that you can’t win every match, but he’s got the same mindset today that he’s had since a very young age: he’s all about winning, enjoyment and love for his family and friends,” added the Bulgarian maestro, Messi’s fellow Barcelona icon.
The now 59-year-old spent seven seasons at the Camp Nou across two spells between 1990 and 1998, winning a plethora of silverware, including most notably the Catalan club’s first European Cup title, under Johan Cruyff in 1991-92.
With their point against Al Ahly providing a platform to build on, Javier Mascherano’s troops are currently gearing up for their second Club World Cup outing, against Porto in Atlanta tomorrow (19 June). The Miamians more than held their own in their curtain-raiser, and are upbeat about their chances of living up to the pre-tournament expectations and progressing to the round of 16.
Granted, they struggled in the first half and were indebted to Oscar Ustari for keeping them on level terms going into the break courtesy of a penalty save from Trezeguet. However, they raised their game after the interval and repeatedly came close to claiming a winner.
With just under 50 goals to his name, Messi is already the top marksman for a club that was only founded in 2018. Since joining in mid-2023, La Pulga has also played an instrumental role in starting to fill Inter Miami’s trophy cabinet, helping to bring home the MLS Supporters’ Shield, which is awarded to the team who top the overall regular-season standings, and the Leagues Cup.
The diminutive attacker turns 38 next Tuesday (24 June), but his influence and popularity remain sky-high. “It doesn’t matter how old he is: he’s a footballer through and through. I hope he has a great tournament, an incredible one even, just like he always does. I always look forward to watching him again,” said Alessandro Del Piero, who savoured the proceedings at Hard Rock Stadium alongside another Italian great, Roberto Baggio. Like Messi, the supremely talented Baggio and Del Piero both sported the No10 shirt with aplomb during their playing days.
“We’re talking about the best player in the world. Watching him still out there and enjoying it will always be special,” gushed FC Internazionale Milano Vice-President Javier Zanetti, who is stateside for the Milan outfit’s Club World Cup campaign.
The former right-back, and sometime defensive midfielder, was a long-standing mainstay for both the Nerazzurri and his national team, teaming up with Messi in the Argentina set-up on numerous occasions. The Internazionale man took Messi under his wing as a senior member of the squad when the Rosario-born schemer won his first cap – against Hungary – in 2005 and again during the 2007 CONMEBOL Copa América.
The pair did not, however, share a dressing room at the World Cup: Zanetti last appeared at international football’s flagship event in 2002, being controversially overlooked by Jose Pekerman in 2006, when the then Barça starlet made his debut at the competition.
Looking ahead to next year’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States, during which Messi will celebrate his 39th birthday, Zanetti backed the forward to continue to take centre stage for the Albiceleste: “He just needs to keep doing what he’s always done. He’s a great leader; he’s the captain. The way he represents us around the world is something to be admired.”
We will leave the final word to Betis defender Marc Bartra, who lined up with Messi in the Catalan capital between 2010 and 2016. “I’m always excited to see him play live again,” the 34-year-old centre-back told FIFA. “He was a role model for me; I loved playing alongside him and now I hope to enjoy watching him from the outside,” Bartra added. “I always get a real kick out of following him from afar too. It’s a great feeling, as I get to relive the special, amazing times I had at Barça.”
