{"id":857991,"date":"2025-06-25T17:11:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T22:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/25\/inter-miami-stars-relish-luis-enrique-reunion-at-club-world-cup-mlssoccer-com\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:11:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T22:11:55","slug":"inter-miami-stars-relish-luis-enrique-reunion-at-club-world-cup-mlssoccer-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/25\/inter-miami-stars-relish-luis-enrique-reunion-at-club-world-cup-mlssoccer-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Inter Miami stars relish Luis Enrique reunion at Club World Cup | MLSSoccer.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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Inter Miami<\/a>\u2019s successful advancement from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup<\/a> group stage has put them on a collision course with French giants Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi<\/a>\u2019s previous home and the freshly-crowned champions of Europe.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Sunday\u2019s Round-of-16 clash in Atlanta (12 pm ET | DAZN<\/a>) isn\u2019t just a meeting with Messi\u2019s prior club \u2013 it\u2019s also an FC Barcelona reunion, pitting IMCF\u2019s quartet of Bar\u00e7a icons against former manager Luis Enrique, the architect of some of the greatest teams and achievements in their storied history.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve said it infinity times: For me, he\u2019s the best \u2013 I think not just as a coach, but also how he manages the group,\u201d said Miami fullback Jordi Alba<\/a>, who also worked with Luis Enrique with the Spanish national team from 2018-22, after Monday night\u2019s riveting 2-2 draw<\/a> vs. Palmeiras. \u201cHe\u2019s a phenomenon. I\u2019m excited to see him, as well as Rafel Pol, Joaqu\u00edn Vald\u00e9s, his entire staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll give him a hug,\u201d added Alba, \u201cbut when the ref blows the opening whistle, try to beat him. Which is what all of us here are trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Legends reunite<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Having starred for Bar\u00e7a in his own illustrious playing days following a rare, contentious move from eternal rivals Real Madrid, Luis Enrique was already a club legend when he took over from Gerardo \u201cTata\u201d Martino in 2014, the same summer in which the Catalan powerhouse acquired Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> from Liverpool. His three seasons in charge would eclipse even that legacy, however.<\/p>\n

Spearheaded by the famous \u201cMSN\u201d attacking trident of Messi, Su\u00e1rez and Neymar Jr., with Alba, midfield metronome Sergio Busquets<\/a> and current Miami head coach Javier Mascherano playing vital roles as well, Luis Enrique\u2019s Blaugrana won the 2015 UEFA Champions League, two LaLiga titles, three Copas del Rey and the 2015 CWC, which back then was a much smaller 10-day event featuring just seven participating teams.<\/p>\n

At the time, this vintage Bar\u00e7a side was often compared negatively to Pep Guardiola\u2019s memorable \u2018tiki taka\u2019 squads by the club\u2019s demanding supporters and media. In retrospect, Luis Enrique\u2019s group looks quite incredible in their own right, and his former players\u2019 praise confirms the scale of his influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, along with Maestro [\u00d3scar] Tab\u00e1rez of the [Uruguay] national team, he was the most important coach of my career, for what they taught me, for what I learned in the day-to-day with them,\u201d said Su\u00e1rez of the Spaniard after notching a gorgeous goal and an assist Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a coach who influenced me greatly. I already had a competitive DNA, but he injected even more into me. He taught me how to move within a space where I had to play a role I wasn\u2019t used to, not touching the ball a lot \u2026 Not to mention on a personal level, a relationship of great respect and admiration for what he generated for us as players.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Special relationship<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Luis Enrique and Messi were said to have clashed in the early stages of the coach\u2019s tenure at Barcelona, yet they would forge a strong working relationship, discernible not just in the team\u2019s many achievements but also the Argentine superstar\u2019s individual exploits: He won a Ballon d’Or, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award and finished as the Champions League\u2019s top scorer, among myriad other honors, during that period.<\/p>\n

Luis Enrique once dubbed Messi \u201cthe best in the world in every position,\u201d while Messi ranked PSG\u2019s current boss alongside Guardiola as \u201cthe two best\u201d coaches he\u2019d ever worked with, alluding to the ways \u201cthey made me grow a lot in football and in the tactical wisdom that they taught me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mascherano, still early in his own managerial journey, was even more effusive in his praise on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuis Enrique is a friend of mine. I was lucky enough to have him as a coach for three years. I have a very special relationship with him, also with his family,\u201d said IMCF\u2019s first-year head coach. \u201cIt will be a special game to face PSG, and to face him, it will be a source of pride for me to face one of the greatest coaches I had in my career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the beautiful thing about football sometimes. You face these kind of things and, well, in my opinion, I do not deserve this as a coach just yet. But yes, it will be a very beautiful opportunity. I always wish him all the best; that won’t be the case for Sunday. I hope luck will be on our side on Sunday. But yes, I have a very good relationship with him. I appreciate him a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2014 Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

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Dream big<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Luis Enrique\u2019s expertise is just one reason among many that, even with Messi & Friends, the odds will be stacked against the Herons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Owned by Qatar\u2019s sovereign wealth fund since 2011, PSG have benefited from billions of dollars in investment over that time and Transfermarkt ranks theirs as the third-most-valuable squad at the CWC, behind only Real Madrid and Manchester City.<\/p>\n

But like the tagline on the back of their jerseys says, Miami have earned the freedom to dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve played good soccer, we\u2019ve competed very well,\u201d said Alba. \u201cAnd why not? Why not dream about beating the European champion?<\/p>\n

“It will be very complicated. We know the quality of all their players and, for me, he [Enrique] is the best coach in the world. I know him very well. It\u2019ll be hard, but this is soccer and it\u2019s 90-something minutes. Why not dream?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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