FC Barcelona are not participating in the first edition of the newly formatted FIFA Club World Cup, but the Catalan club was still represented in the recently held draw for the group stage of the 2025 Club World Cup.
After this draw, the former Barcelona player and manager, Xavi Hernandez, appeared in an interview with FIFA and made some interesting comments.
As SPORT has reported, Xavi Hernandez took this opportunity to praise his former teammate, Lionel Messi, who will be participating in this competition with Inter Miami, and also made it clear that he enjoys watching Barcelona play despite the unceremonious ending he had to his tenure as the first team’s coach:
“The player I enjoy watching the most? Still Leo. Leo Messi. I enjoy seeing Barcelona win; I appreciate many footballers worldwide. But for me, Messi remains number one in talent.”
It is easy to see why Xavi picked Messi for this honor, as the two individuals shared a very fruitful career at Barcelona, in which they were two of the stars of one of the best teams in the history of the club and one of the most successful teams in the history of football.
Thus, even though Barcelona will not be competing in this competition, Cules will still have a clear player to support, as they will be keen to see their beloved legend pick another trophy in the twilight of his career.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will be facing Palmeiras, Porto, and Al-Ahly in the group stage of the competition, but if they advance from this stage, Messi might face some very familiar opponents later on in the competition, including the likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Similarly, the Argentine can also face another of his former teams, Paris Saint Germain.
Similarly, other big European clubs like Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, and Manchester City are also participating in the competition.
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