Messi and South American Teams to Watch Out for at FIFA Club World Cup
Atlanta:
In preparation for this year's FIFA Club World Cup, fans around the world have high expectations for some top-class teams from Europe, but it appears that Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi and South American sides are going to be the ones to watch out for.
Messi, who has been with Inter Miami since 2022, will face European opposition once again in the tournament. Despite being 37 years old, he still boasts supreme quality on the field but there's uncertainty surrounding whether he along with former top-tier stars Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets can seriously compete against the best teams globally.
Inter Miami is set to match up against Porto in their second group-stage game in Atlanta, a side Messi has faced before beating them with Barcelona back in 2011. If he scores at the tournament, Messi will become the oldest-ever Club World Cup goalscorer.
Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final romp over Inter Milan was inspired by Desire Doue, a thrilling forward who turned 20 earlier this month. He is expected to be one of the players to watch out for at the tournament as he continues to turn heads with his immense talent.
PSG's star has gained attention in recent months and now PSG immediately opens their account against Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles giving Doue another platform to shine on. The team has invested a significant amount ($136 million) since the beginning of the year on players like Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki.
The squad now boasts holding midfielder Rodri who is back at 100% after suffering an injury earlier in the season. French youngster Rayan Cherkiti can develop into a world-class player according to PS director of football Hugo Viana.
Meanwhile South American teams which have long revered the competition to a greater degree than European sides, will be eager to compete for their share of $1 billion in prize money. With several fresh talents coming through, they promise an exciting experience for fans.
Franco Mastantuoni from River Plate is expected to join Real Madrid after the tournament while also Chelsea-bound striker Estevao Willian hopes his debut at Palmeiras will end as well. Atletico Madrid who ended their season trophyless has a chance to make up ground in this year’s tournament and they expressed hope under coach Diego Simeone. With no domestic trophies won since 2021, the last time they lifted La Liga followed by Europa League, UEFA Super Cup triumphs; however these achievements did come from outside Spanish football - in 2018.
Simeone's comments of advancing past the initial group stage and achieving a successful position over Atletico is not to be ignored.