Brazilian legend Rivaldo has stated that Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi’s current team, Inter Miami of the United States, does not have the quality to compete in the Club World Cup. So far in the tournament, Inter Miami has drawn against Egypt’s Al Ahly and won against Portugal’s Porto, accumulating four points. This has greatly increased their hopes of advancing to the second round. However, Rivaldo, the 1999 World Player of the Year who helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup, said he doesn’t believe Inter Miami can progress beyond the second round.
“Individual players are good. But looking at the team as a whole, Miami doesn’t have the quality to compete in the tournament. The main reason is that they are not strong as a team. It’s not easy to play against European teams. There’s a big difference between American soccer and European football. In this regard, Miami doesn’t have the quality to compete with top European teams,” Rivaldo said. He also added that any progress Inter Miami makes in the tournament should be credited to the former Barcelona players in the team.
Inter Miami has four key players who brought many successes to Barcelona. These are Barcelona’s former captain Messi, two Spanish players – former captain and midfielder Sergio Busquets and defender Jordi Alba, and Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez.
“Any further steps they take, the credit should go to the players from Barcelona. Because it’s their experience, courage, and hard work that’s driving the team forward,” said Rivaldo, who was also a former Barcelona captain. The biggest challenge European teams face in the Club World Cup is the heat in America. However, Rivaldo said that it’s unlikely for European teams to be eliminated in the knockout stages due to the disadvantage of the heat.
