For all the hullabaloo and hype surroundingLionel Messi’s return to Atlanta on Sunday for theFIFA Club World Cup round of 16 clashagainst his former club – reigningUEFA Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain– the Inter Miami maestro wasn’t the only player, past or present, with ties to the French side.
PSG boss Luis Enrique had the pleasure of coming up against no fewer than four players he once managed at Spanish giant Barcelona. Messi –bien sûr –but Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets who, in a world without the Argentine superstar still playing in it, all remain capable of hogging the limelight. And Enrique’s counterpart on the Miami sideline was Javier Mascherano, who also played a pivotal part in Enrique’s treble-winning era at Barça in the 2014-15 season.
Fast forward a couple of years to 2017, and Miami’s group of former Barça stars played their part in the remarkableremontadaagainst PSG, asLes Parisienssomehow contrived to throw away a 4-0 first leg lead in a round of 16 Champions League tie, getting thumped 6-1 in the return match.
Round of 16 you say? Narrative was in the air everywhere you cared to look on Sunday. And in the cool climate of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a penny – or perhaps that should be cent – for the thoughts of Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, who was in the house despite recent surgery.
The iconic English soccer star ended his playing career in the red and blue of PSG, memorably shedding more than a few tears when calling it a day in May 2013, shortly after winning a fourth different league winners’ medal: in addition to England, Spain and the United States.
And this was no fleeting dalliance, but a relationship of real meaning, as evidenced by the 50-year-old cheering them on inside the Allianz Arena last month, as PSG finally won a first Champions League, demolishing Inter Milan 5-0 in the process. The soon to be knighted Beckham had a night for the ages in Munich.
“To be honest, it’s quite an emotional match for me,” Beckham told the TNT Sports/DAZN pregame show pitchside in Atlanta about his MLS team facing the final club he ever represented. “I only spent six months there, but it felt like 16 years. It’s a real family, it’s a real special club, owned by special people, run by a special man, and we’re very proud of this moment.”
Could a case be made that everyone would end up winning on this final Sunday of June, as the knockout rounds continued at the newly expanded Club World Cup?
PSG was the heavy favorite to advance, while Inter Miami had shown a dose of flair along the way from its star names to become the only MLS team from the contingent of three to advance from the group stage. A comfortable win for the European giants, while Inter Miami leave with their collective heads held high? Handshakes all around, let’s swap some jerseys, and do it all over again four years from now?
Who could argue withthatnarrative? Opta’s supercomputer considered PSG the likeliest competition winner before the Club World Cup kicked off in mid-June and stuck to its belief heading into the Round of 16 – giving PSG a 20.6% chance of lifting the trophy, after running 10,000 simulations – while Inter Miami languished with frankly risible odds of 0.3%.
Surely even Messi and Beckham, who know a thing or two about dragging their teams through insurmountable situations, wouldn’t have said with a straight face: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
But soccer has the capacity to consistently make us look “Dumb and Dumber.” And perhaps the revenge angle needed to be factored in: Messi did not seem to particularly enjoy himself – nor win much in the way of silverware – over his two seasons in the French capital, after swapping Barcelona for Paris in 2021. And in his approximately 1,100-game career, the 38-year-old hadneverfaced a former side in a competitive fixture until Sunday.
As for PSG, so much has been said about the irony of big-name players such as Messi,Kylian Mbappéand Neymar failing to land the holy grail that is the Champions League, while the fresh-faced Désiré Doué, João Neves and Bradley Barcola got their hands on “Ol’ Big Ears” not long after being legally allowed to drink alcohol from the iconic trophy, that it barely needs repeating.
In the end, those jersey swaps could have taken place at the half-time whistle, with the European champion putting on a clinic, racing out to a 4-0 lead, courtesy of a brace from João Neves, an own goal from Tomás Avilés (the hapless substitute had already been booked, mere seconds after entering the game in the 19th minute), and the dagger strike from attacking full-back Achraf Hakimi.
The game was theoretically in the balance at 2-0, with a couple of minutes to go in the first half, but dramatically doubled before the 65,574 in attendance could catch their breath.
The second 45 minutes felt like an exhibition. PSG took its foot off the gas, almost taunting its opponent to have a go. And at times, it felt like the entire stadium – and it did seem like a more partisan Inter Miami (or perhaps that should be pro-Messi) crowd – was willing the forward to score. And he happily accepted the assignment.
A blocked shot here, some shots saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma there – including from a header which might have caused the loudest cheer in this stadium’s history had it nestled in the net – and a free kick which rather tamely went into the PSG wall. But Messi’s eightBallons d’Orcount for nothing when a side sitting sixth place in the MLS Eastern Conference takes on the best team in Europe.
“There’s a huge lesson to be learned from here,” noted Inter Miami coach Mascherano, in what might have been the biggest understatement of the tournament. PSG coach Enrique for his part declared, “It was an almost perfect match, we created a lot of chances,” perhaps the second biggest of the tournament.
Speaking to reporters, includingCNN Sports, after the match, PSG star Ousmane Dembélé acknowledged that he was “very happy” to come up against Messi, and it gave him “pleasure” to see him.
It’s clear that the players still revere him, but the question must be asked: Could this have been Messi’s final ever game on the global stage? The World Cup is around the corner but, at some point soon, he’ll be hanging up his boots.
For PSG, whose players are hanging up medals rather than boots, a return to this stunning stadium awaits on Saturday, with the Champions League winner taking on German giant Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. It’s a veritable blockbuster, but the likes of Messi and Beckham will be spectators rather than protagonists.
“It’s fine… it’s all good,” said a beaming Beckham just before kick-off, about his surgery. But as a second opinion, he could have been referring to the outcome of this match.