When Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter Miami in the Club World Cup last 16 this Sunday, it will mark a rare and poignant reunion of European football icons — a match steeped in old loyalties, lingering regrets, and a chance for Lionel Messi to settle a score.
The tie sets up a fascinating contrast of eras: a PSG side, youthful and energetic, fresh from their first-ever Champions League triumph, against an Inter Miami squad built around ageing but iconic former Barcelona stars.
On the touchline for the Parisians, Luis Enrique will find himself reunited with four of his former players from his trophy-laden spell at Barcelona — Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. All four now play under the guidance of another familiar face, Javier Mascherano, who captains the technical area for Miami in his first major club coaching role.
“Luis Enrique is a phenomenon,” said Alba earlier this week. “I’m excited to see him and will give him a hug, but when the referee blows the opening whistle, we’ll try to beat him.”
Suárez, now 38, reflected on his former manager’s influence: “I already had a competitive DNA, but he injected even more into me.”
Adding a deeper layer of intrigue is the history shared between the two squads. The Miami quartet were central to Barcelona’s famous 6–1 “Remontada” against PSG in 2017 — a dramatic Champions League turnaround that remains the darkest night in the French club’s European history, having lost the first leg 4–0 in Paris.
Now, those veterans rely on memory, rhythm and flashes of brilliance. Meanwhile, PSG have evolved, rebuilt around a younger core. The likes of Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué, and Vitinha have brought energy and dynamism into Enrique’s system, culminating in their long-awaited European title just weeks ago.
Yet questions linger. A 1–0 defeat to Brazil’s Botafogo in the group stage raised concerns about fatigue within the Parisian ranks after a long and intense European campaign.
On paper, PSG remain firm favourites, but the recent loss revealed potential vulnerabilities in a squad that has shouldered more high-stakes encounters than most of their Club World Cup rivals.
For Mascherano, the occasion carries emotional weight as he faces a coach he deeply admires. “It will be an honour for me facing a great coach — one of the greatest I’ve had in my career,” he said of Enrique.
But all eyes will be on Messi. The Argentine maestro, still in sublime form, endured a difficult two-year spell in Paris following his departure from Barcelona in 2021. While he lifted domestic trophies, he never truly settled in the French capital. Following his World Cup triumph in 2022, some PSG supporters turned against him.
“I didn’t enjoy myself at PSG,” Messi admitted earlier this year. “It was a tough period.”
Mascherano believes that memory still fuels his star player. “When something’s stuck in his mind, Messi gives a little extra,” he said.
Now, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake and history looming large, Sunday’s clash promises not just footballing drama, but the latest chapter in an evolving story of legacy, rivalry, and redemption.