Lionel Messi will go all out to help Inter Miami secure a shock win over his former club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 match at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States, on Sunday.
This marks the first time in his trophy-laden career that Messi will play against a former club. The Argentine forward is expected to be highly motivated to get one over PSG.
During his time at PSG, Messi scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 75 appearances. However, things didn’t quite go as expected. Despite playing alongside superstars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the team lacked cohesion and functioned more like a group of individuals than a unified squad.
Messi spent two seasons at PSG after joining in the summer of 2021, but his stint failed to deliver the expected results—most notably the elusive UEFA Champions League title. His departure in 2023 was marked by disappointment and tension, including a public fallout and difficulty for his family in settling in Paris.
As a result, there’s no love lost between Messi and PSG, and the former Barcelona star would certainly relish the opportunity to humble the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
A Battle of Friends
This fixture could also be dubbed “A Battle of Friends,” with Messi set to face former teammates such as Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Marquinhos—now key players for PSG.
While technically a friendly, the stakes are high. Both PSG and Inter Miami will pull out all the stops to secure a quarter-final ticket at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup.
Messi, Busquets, Suarez, Alba: A Golden Quartet
Inter Miami now boasts an impressive quartet—Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets—who have won nearly every major honour at both club and international levels.
The four were part of Barcelona’s golden era, securing multiple titles including La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Internationally, Messi has won both the FIFA World Cup and Copa America with Argentina; Suarez has a Copa America title with Uruguay; while Busquets and Alba were part of Spain’s golden generation that won the UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup.
Interestingly, the quartet were also instrumental in Barcelona’s famous 2017 “Remontada” against PSG—one of the most dramatic nights in Champions League history—when Barca overturned a 4–0 first-leg deficit by thrashing PSG 6–1 at the Camp Nou.
Now wearing new colours, Messi and his longtime allies are looking to write another chapter in football history—this time, at the expense of their old French rivals.
