We're starting to get down to business at the Club World Cup . With the group stage soon giving way to the knockout phase, the competition will take on a new dimension without many clubs that weren't necessarily attractive to watch. Better still, the first qualifiers were revealed this Monday evening. In Group B, Botafogo and PSG will be in the round of 16. Having easily beaten Seattle (2-0), the capital club even secured first place, as Atlético de Madrid won against Botafogo (1-0).
A first place finish that allows PSG to face the second-placed team in Group A, which is none other than...Inter Miami. After a valuable victory against Porto in the previous match, Lionel Messi's team drew (2-2) last night against Palmeiras , the leader of their group. Ironically, Lionel Messi will now face his former club in the round of 16. A reunion that promises to be special, as the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner had not hesitated to send several digs at the capital club since his departure to Florida.
PSG players happy to see Lionel Messi again
Indeed, having enjoyed two rather satisfactory years individually in Paris, Lionel Messi was the latest symbol of the capital club's bling-bling recruitment in the past. However, the Pulga never really settled in on the banks of the Seine. Still in love with FC Barcelona and a Catalonia that he ardently missed, Messi has never hidden the fact that he didn't enjoy his time in Paris: " As I said at the time, my time at PSG wasn't something I wanted. I didn't want to leave Barcelona and it happened overnight. " These remarks had raised eyebrows, to which Messi added that he really didn't feel comfortable in Paris. All these outbursts have inevitably created tension among PSG fans, who are eager to be able to do battle on the pitch with Lionel Messi this Sunday at 6 p.m.
A reunion is bound to be special in the Parisian locker room, where several players met Messi during his time there between 2021 and 2023. Asked this Monday about a possible match against his former teammate, Gianluigi Donnarumma was full of praise for his illustrious elder: " Leo Messi? Maybe yes (we'll see him again, editor's note). He's a great friend. He's the best player in the world. We were lucky enough to play with him. It was a fantastic two years, but the team has to win. " Internally, meeting Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in the round of 16 has sparked general optimism, according to information from RMC Sport. According to our colleagues, several players, who learned the name of their future opponent on the plane, are even looking forward to this confrontation against one of the best players in the history of football.
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