Lionel Messi and Inter Miami departed the FIFA Club World Cup at the Round of 16 stage as the American side were thrashed 4-0 by reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique's men ran riot in the opening 45 minutes, with the greatest player of all time unable to inspire any sort of fightback.
Two goals from young midfielder Joao Neves, an own goal and a final strike from flying full-back Achraf Hakimi put the game to bed before the first-half even came to an end. Inter Miami's team of icons - such as Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba - struggled to keep up with the intensity of the Parisians.
Lionel Messi Related
Why Lionel Messi Left The Pitch Annoyed After Inter Miami Match
There's a reason Lionel Messi was so annoyed despite Inter Miami advancing in FIFA Club World Cup.
Messi, 38, had an impressive group stage for the Miami-based outfit. He netted a sublime free-kick against Portuguese side FC Porto, while putting in a strong display against Palmeiras to secure qualification for the knockout rounds. Unfortunately, his old club were just too good for the MLS side.
His teammates took the lion's share of criticism
Messi endured a tough time in the French capital while representing PSG from 2021 to 2023. He did manage back-to-back Ligue 1 titles, but the club got nowhere near lifting the Champions League. As a result of his struggles in Paris, as well as his World Cup final victory over France in 2022, Messi hasn't always been as universally loved in the European country as he is elsewhere.
Despite there being no real love for the diminutive playmaker, he was actually praised for his efforts in the demolition against PSG by the media in France. L'Equipe pointed out how Messi still has 'magic' in his boots, highlighting his dangerous moments in the match:
"A little magic, even in slow motion, returned to the surface, with a magnificent pass to Luis Suarez, whose liveliness is not his primary quality at the end of his career.
"To the magic was added pride, obviously, because the Argentinian world champion nicely transformed some of his team's moves. It was he, moreover, who forced Donnarumma into his most difficult save, on a header that the Italian goalkeeper had to quickly retrieve from the ground (80th)."
Get French Football News echoed the sentiment that Messi still has moments of brilliance in his wheelhouse. Handing him a 6/10 rating, the publication stated: "He had that sublime Messi moment, dinking a sublime ball over the top. His class now only shows intermittently, but against his former club, PSG, he showed flashes of the Messi of old. What limited him more than anything was the lack of options at his disposal in the moments he got on the ball. Better support would have drastically increased his influence on the encounter."
Lionel Messi vs PSG
Messi fought to try and get on the scoresheet at least in the second period, going close with a header. MaxiFoot recalled the promising moments that just didn't quite come off for the 38-year-old:
"The stakes in the final quarter of an hour? Whether Messi could save face or whether Paris would inflict another manita on Inter. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner came close to the first option, but his header at the near post was pushed away by Donnarumma. At the very end of the game, the crowd held their breath as a well-placed free-kick was deflected, but the Argentinian stumbled over an obstacle."
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Statistics in this article are courtesy of SofaScore. Correct as of 29-06-25.