This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
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HIBAPRESS-RABAT-FIFA
Xavi spoke with FIFA about the 2025 Club World Cup where he is looking forward to watching his former teammate Leo Messi play.
Xavi and Messi were teammates for more than ten years at FC Barcelona
The Argentine helped Inter Miami qualify for the competition, which will pit 32 teams against each other
The group stage draw takes place on Thursday 5 December
Xavi, the legendary midfielder of FC Barcelona and the Spanish team, has faced and rubbed shoulders with a host of impressive players during his illustrious career. But if there’s one player he’s particularly excited to see in action at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup™, it’s Lionel Messi.
The 2022 world champion is one of the many stars expected to shine during this new competition, which will take place in the United States and will pit 32 major clubs from the six confederations against each other.
Inter Miami won the right to represent the host country by winning the Supporters’ Shield 2024, a trophy awarded to the best club in Major League Soccer (MLS) at the end of the regular season.
For more than ten years, old format.
Barça having missed qualification for the new competition which will see the light of day in 2025, Spain will be represented by Real Madrid – winner of the UEFA Champions League in 2022 and 2024 – and Atlético Madrid, qualified by the path to the UEFA ranking.
At the end of the draw, which will take place on Thursday December 5 in Miami, Messi and his partners will know which of the eight groups they have been placed in and will thus know the identity of their first opponents. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025, and 63 matches will be played in this new version of the competition.
When asked which current footballer he prefers to watch play, Xavi is blunt: “It’s always Leo. Leo Messi. I like to see Barcelona win matches. There are many footballers I enjoy watching play, but for me, in terms of talent, Messi remains number one. »
In addition to his numerous titles gleaned with the Blaugrana, Xavi reached the pinnacle of world football by winning the FIFA World Cup™ in 2010, as well as the UEFA EURO in 2008 and 2012, with a Roja of which he was the infallible metronome in the midfield.
“The main difference between Barça and the Spanish team was Messi,” he analyzes. “There’s no doubt about it. We missed Leo. We didn’t have a player capable of making the difference on his own. This forced us to focus more on the collective, but we still managed to win the EURO, the World Cup and then the EURO again. And then, at Barça, we had a golden generation who won everything. »
For tactics and styles of play that they are not used to.
UEFA will be represented by 12 clubs, CONMEBOL by six teams, AFC, CAF and Concacaf by four teams each, and OFC by one club, while Inter Miami will represent the host country.
“It’s a competition that appeals to me for several reasons. We know that there will be major European clubs which are already competing in the Champions League and which are still playing at a very high level. But it will also be a showcase for clubs from around the world. »
“I think this competition will mark a turning point, it will be a wonderful opportunity to see clubs from all over the world shine, and the fans are surely looking forward to it. »
“When you become world club champion, you really feel like you’re in seventh heaven. I had the chance to be world champion for club and national team, and in both cases you face different styles of play.”
“I’ve played against teams from Oceania, South America and North America, and it’s an amazing experience. »
