Messi and teammates were crushed by PSG. In the early morning of June 30, PSG crushed Inter Miami 4-0 in the round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
Yet it was the presence of the Argentine superstar - and Inter Miami's crushing defeat to Paris Saint-Germain - that exposed a stark reality: Major League Soccer (MLS) is still a long way from European standards.
FIFA lost
Eight months ago, FIFA President Gianni Infantino appeared after an Inter Miami match to announce a controversial decision. FIFA would change the Club World Cup rules to “open the door” for Messi’s team to participate.
It was not a reward for sporting achievement, but a media gamble. And today, that gamble has failed.
In the round of 16, PSG - Champions League champions - needed only 45 minutes to score four goals against the pink team of Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The match ended in the first half, and Infantino's dream of connecting MLS and the top of world football was shattered in 90 minutes in Atlanta.
Messi is still good, but Inter Miami cannot compare to PSG in every aspect. |
Messi’s presence in the tournament is clearly a “bait” move to attract American audiences, who are not too enthusiastic about European club tours in the summer. With big names like Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United not participating, FIFA needs a global icon. Messi is the trump card.
But instead of proving MLS’s competitiveness, Inter Miami’s performance against PSG made American audiences realize the hard truth. Their football is immature, disjointed and lacking in character. Against a European team that plays like a perfect machine, Inter Miami is no different from a star team that lacks coordination.
Coach Javier Mascherano - a former player who played at the highest level for many years - when asked how MLS could close the gap with Europe, just shook his head: "Footballers here know that better than me". A thoughtful silence.
Inter Miami are not entirely bad, having beaten Porto and drawn with Palmeiras and Al-Ahly in the group stage. But PSG are a different class, having just destroyed Inter Milan in the Champions League final with a record scoreline. “A massacre,” Mascherano admitted bitterly after the first half.
Despite PSG’s subsequent substitutions, Inter Miami were unable to do much. Messi, as usual, struggled: a free kick missed the wall, a header was blocked, an improvised pass to Suarez, who again failed to deal with it. TV commentators tried to find a silver lining in the performance, but the Uruguayan striker’s blank stare and frustration said it all.
Without Messi, is the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup still attractive? |
FIFA's failed experiment
Infantino used the excuse that Inter Miami topped the MLS standings last season to “legitimize” their place in the tournament. But the real MLS champions were LA Galaxy, who eliminated Miami in the playoffs. But the Galaxy didn’t get to play. Neither did the champions of England, Spain, and Italy, who didn’t even get to play. This year’s Club World Cup has become a “random selection,” as long as there’s a name to promote.
The irony is that the presence of Messi - the star that FIFA is counting on to elevate the tournament - has made the gap between "glory" and "ability" even more obvious to Americans. Inter Miami has Messi, Suarez, Busquets, Alba - all veterans who once dominated Europe. But when put in a real competitive environment, they cannot save a team that lacks depth and experience.
Messi has no time to regret. In a few days, he will be on his way to Canada to compete in MLS - a tournament that lasts until October, where Miami is currently ranked 6th in the Eastern Conference, despite playing many fewer teams. But clearly, for Messi, this Club World Cup is just a small stop.
His mind, his body - all are focused on next summer: the 2026 World Cup in the United States, where Argentina will defend its throne. And this Club World Cup? A failed experiment, a crack in Gianni Infantino's plan to build a global football castle.
Source: https://znews.vn/messi-guc-nga-ke-hoach-cua-fifa-lo-ro-lo-hong-post1564687.html
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