Inter Miami star Lionel Messi said his team had “left a good image” at the Club World Cup despite falling 4-0 against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 to be eliminated from the tournament.
“Well, the game was what was expected,” Messi said after the game. “They are a huge team, obviously they are the champions of the last edition of the Champions League. it’s very good. It was the game we expected, we tried to do the best possible and we left a good image in the Club World Cup level.”
The team emerged from the group stage in second place after recording two draws and a 2-1 victory over FC Porto, but almost clinched the leading spot. The Herons dominated Palmeiras for the majority of the final group stage, earning the 2-0 advantage before ultimately allowing two goals in the final minutes to force a draw.
A victory over the Brazilian team would’ve seen Inter Miami face Botafogo in the knockout round instead of PSG, which Messi said would have presented a less complicated challenge.
“We remain with the sentiment against Palmeiras that winning the game 2-0 and drawing we had to face PSG which was more complicated,” said the World Cup winner with Argentina. “But well, it’s not a disappointment either, it’s just simply a situation that could’ve been different. Getting the draw in the final minutes left a sour taste, but I think beyond that we competed.
“It’s over and now we have to think about what’s next.”
Left-back Jordi Alba agreed with Messi and said the team lived up to the expectations it had set for itself ahead of the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup.
“Well, we’ve had three rivals in our group who are also very strong, and we’ve been better, honestly. I’ll say it openly, we were better than all three of our group rivals, in my opinion,” Alba said after the match. “Today, we were talking about a very great rival, and they really put you through their paces, but, well, things are what they are, and that’s something to be proud of.”
The defender later emphasized that the tournament served as a learning opportunity for many of the younger players on the squad without experience in Europe. For former Inter Miami academy players like Benjamin Cremaschi and Noah Allen, the Club World Cup served as the first chance to face a club team — in this case the defending Champions League winners — outside of the Concacaf region in a competitive setting.
“With Leo [Messi’s] arrival, they’ve opened many doors for everyone, and obviously, many more people are looking up to them,” Alba added. “Also with Luis Suárez‘s arrival, and with [Sergio] Busquets’ arrival, we’re trying to help all the young players grow, evolve, and learn a lot for tomorrow.
“And it’s what I said before: I think we’ve been better than the three matches played by our three group rivals. And in the end, I always say, we’re all human, and some are better or worse, but I think they’ve lived up to expectations and that they have to look and see that they can also take that step forward, because they’ve been able to be better in our matches.”
Miami head coach Javier Mascherano added that the experience of playing on an international stage will only help the club when returning to the Major League Soccer regular season.
“There’s a huge lesson to be learned from here. We’re going to be reviewing all of this and I think that they go hand in hand now if we are going to be able to take stock of this experience,” said Mascherano. “I think that this is going to help us when we take this to our national league. It goes without saying that it depends on our own personal intelligence that we have at our disposal as a team to be able to leverage this experience.”
The team returns to action on July 5 with a match against CF Montreal in MLS, and will begin preparing for the 2025 Leagues Cup, which begins on July 30.
