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 No10 pulled off yet another feat on the biggest stage of club football by helping to guide Inter Miami CF into the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. In front of thousands of home fans, the Herons put in a colossal display against Palmeiras to earn the draw they needed.
Messi’s competitive spirit remains unquenchable and ageless. Despite making it to the Round of 16, Palmeiras’ late equaliser left the pint-sized virtuoso and his team-mates brooding. “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.”
As always, the No10, affectionately known as ‘La Pulga’, 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 Barça 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.
Palmeiras snatched a draw to clinch top spot in Group A, staging a stirring comeback in the final ten minutes courtesy of strikes from Paulinho and Mauricio. The result altered the standings, with Palmeiras now set to face Botafogo in an all-Brazilian showdown and Inter Miami poised to take on European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16.
The clash between the Herons and Les Rouge et Bleu will be a meeting of past and present for Messi. Following his shock departure from Barcelona in August 2021, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain 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 the Flea 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.
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“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 FC 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.”
