Messi vs Enrique - the final battle to close the past

Messi is the star of Inter Miami.

The clash between PSG and Inter Miami in the 1/8 round of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ is not only a high-profile match between two representatives from two different football continents. On that Atlanta stage, the audience will witness an emotional reunion between Lionel Messi and Luis Enrique - two figures who once fought side by side to conquer the top at Barcelona, but also fell into a fiery confrontation that stirred up the entire football world .

At the moment, Messi is the biggest star in the Inter Miami squad, while Luis Enrique is the head coach of PSG - the team Messi once played for. This reunion is like a closed circle, but not smooth. Because between them is a history that is not easy to forget: the rift that shook the Camp Nou in 2015.

The fateful match took place at Anoeta, the home of Real Sociedad. Messi had returned late from Argentina after the winter break. With Barcelona four points behind Real Madrid in La Liga, coach Luis Enrique shocked Spain by benching Messi. It was a shocking, risky decision, and one that also sent a message about power in the dressing room.

However, according to defender Jeremy Mathieu, the problem broke out earlier, during a training session. When Messi was fouled but the in-house referee - possibly the coach or assistant - did not blow the whistle, he became angry and had a heated exchange with assistant Joaquin Valdes. Luis Enrique then had to pull Messi into the locker room to calm the situation. The incident was not exposed immediately, but everyone could feel the unstable atmosphere that was covering Barca's headquarters.

Coach Luis Enrique is helping PSG fly high.

Rumors were rife that Messi, with his absolute influence at the club, had “ended” the Enrique era. Although it didn’t go that far, Luis Enrique himself later admitted that there was a period of tension that he “didn’t want, but had to deal with.”

Interestingly, after the Anoeta shock, everything returned to normal. With the trio of Messi - Neymar - Suarez at the peak of their form, Barcelona swept away all opponents and ended the 2014/15 season with a brilliant treble. Luis Enrique went down in history as one of the most successful coaches of the club. But the scratches in the relationship with Messi are still what people mention whenever they talk about that period.

The role of Javier Mascherano - then a key player - cannot be overlooked. He was supposed to be the middle man, acting as a bridge to ease the tension between Messi and Enrique. Ironically, Mascherano is now the head coach of Inter Miami - standing next to Messi on the technical bench, directly confronting his former teacher Enrique on the other side of the battle line.

The upcoming clash between PSG and Inter Miami is not only a top-notch competition between football stars. It is also the convergence point of the fateful threads that once overlapped at Barcelona: Messi - Enrique - Mascherano, now meeting in a new arena, in different roles.

Will the past still affect the present? Will Messi repay Enrique with a brilliant performance? Or will Enrique prove that he is the only one who dares to “sit Messi down” and still win?

We will find out in Atlanta. But either way, this match will be one of the most poignant slices of the Club World Cup – a game that is not just about football, but also about history, emotion and unpaid debts.

Source: https://znews.vn/messi-vs-enrique-tran-chien-cuoi-cung-de-khep-lai-qua-khu-post1563582.html