Argentine superstar Lionel Messi may not have had the best of runs thus far in the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup, but there is no doubt in legendary coach Arsene Wenger’s mind on who has been the most influential player in the 32-team tournament.
Despite notching up only one goal for the MLS side in the event, Messi’s free-kick strike against Porto earned them their first and only win in the group stage, also the first for any MLS club against a European team in the tournament. Messi and Inter Miami will brace for a massive Round of 16 clash against his previous club, French giants Paris-Saint Germain, who left the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner with bittersweet memories.
The former Arsenal manager explained how, despite his ordinary numbers, the 38-year-old Messi has been the most influential player of the Club World Cup, competing with the likes of Vinícius Jr., Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.
“There’s a discussion that defines the difference between the best player in the tournament and the most influential,” Wenger said in an interview with journalist Jose Armando. “Lionel Messi doesn’t have the best stats in this tournament, but without a doubt, he is the most influential. Without him, Inter Miami would never have qualified”.
Comparing Messi with Bayern Munich’s Olise, Wenger said that the German side would have qualified for the knockout stages even without the Frenchman’s three goals and two assists in the group stages.
“So there’s a big difference. Michael Olise has the best numbers in the tournament and has played excellent matches, but Bayern Munich would still qualify without him. Inter Miami would not without Messi,” he added.
‘Leo wants to win games’
Speaking on Messi’s PSG meeting on Sunday night in Atlanta, Miami defender Jordi Alba said that it was certain that the Argentine wouldn’t share the same warm feeling towards the Champions League-winning club as he does towards their former Spanish home in Barcelona.
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“In the end, what Leo wants is to win games, like the great player that he is. I know the feelings he has towards Barça, where we play together, but not towards PSG. He was there for two years and only he knows what happened. What is clear is that it will be a hard-fought match and hopefully we can ring the bell, knowing the difficulty involved in playing with these types of teams,” Alba told reporters.
