By John Ogunsemore
Eighth-time Ballon D’Or winner, Lionel Messi said Inter Miami left the Club World Cup with pride of having achieved their aim of reaching the tournament’s round of 16.
Messi stated this in a statement shared on social media after Sunday’s 4-0 loss to European champions Paris Saint-Germain at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Luis Enrique’s men routed Javier Mascherano’s Miami side in the first half courtesy of a brace from Joao Neves, a Tomas Aviles own goal and an Achraf Hakimi strike.
Messi, 38, joined PSG from Barcelona in 2021 before switching to Inter Miami in 2023.
His statement reads, “Today the Club World Cup comes to an end for us with a defeat against the current Champions League winners, a team where there are people I appreciate and it made me happy to see them again.
“We leave with the pride of having achieved our goal of being among the top 16 teams in the tournament. Now it’s time to focus on MLS and everything that’s coming…”