German legend Matthaus had this to say about Messi, Inter Miami in Club World Cup
Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus heaped praise on Lionel Messi and spoke at length about the Argentine icon’s impact on Major League Soccer and the sport in the United States but cautioned that Inter Miami will have a tough time making it to the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicks off June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Inter Miami will make a run, but I don’t think they can go to the final because the European teams and some teams from South America are stronger and better than the teams from Major League Soccer or New Zealand or Australia,” Matthaus said in a Zoom interview with a small group of reporters on Tuesday.
“I see and feel it in Europe. This is a tournament where you can win a very important title, best club team in the world, and there is a lot of money, and each club is motivated…They will play with their best 11 and I have a feeling four European teams will go to the semifinal.”
The 32-team Club World Cup is being held in 11 cities across the United States with the final scheduled for July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The winning club stands to make as much as $125 million.
Inter Miami opens the tournament on June 14 against Egyptian team Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium and plays its other two group stage matches June 19 against Portugal’s FC Porto in Atlanta, and June 23 against Brazil’s Palmeiras at Hard Rock Stadium.
Among the other teams in the tournament are Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Flamengo, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Al Hilal, Club Leon, Monterrey and Pachuca. The Seattle Sounders is the other MLS team in the field, and it was announced Tuesday that Los Angeles FC will face Mexican team Club America in a playoff for the final spot to replace Club Leon, which was disqualified for violating multi-ownership regulations.
There are always upsets and surprises, Matthaus said, such as the German national team failing to advance past the group stage at the past two World Cups, “but, in the end, I think the European teams are one level too high for the rest of the world.”
Asked how much pressure Messi and Inter Miami will be under to make a deep run at the Club World Cup, Matthaus replied: “Messi has had all his life pressure, World Cup finals, World Cups, South American cups, national team games, club games, Champions League, El Clasico in Spain between Real Madrid and Barcelona. They [Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez] know about pressure.
“But you cannot buy players and think, `Oh, [we will win] because of Messi, because Busquets, and all these big-name players, this doesn’t guarantee you will win titles.”
All that said, Inter Miami, MLS and soccer in the United States, are benefiting greatly from Messi’s presence, Matthaus said.
“Messi is a brand worldwide,” he said. “You can go to Europe, to Africa, to Asia, Messi is everywhere, at one time with the shirt of Barcelona, then the shirt of Paris Saint-Germain and now it is the pink of Inter Miami and always with the same number, number 10,” Matthaus said.
“Messi is still a fantastic player. He can make a difference. He fills stadiums. He is a magnet for football fans. The kids want to be like Messi, not only in America. In Germany, too.”
Matthaus said 15 or 20 years ago, it was not possible for fans in Germany to watch MLS live on TV. Now they can and they have become more familiar with the league.
“I have a son, he’s 11 years old…and when they have a training session, you see a lot of Messi shirts, the old shirt of Barcelona and the new shirt of Inter Miami,” he said.
He added the Messi decision to play in MLS has and will continue to persuade other world-class players to join the league and added fuel to the reports that Bayern Munich great Thomas Muller may be heading stateside.
Muller, 35, is leaving Bayern as a free agent after 25 years at the club and reportedly has had discussions with a few MLS teams. He is one of the best players of this generation and his resume includes 12 Bundesliga titles, two Champions League titles and a World Cup trophy.
“Maybe MLS will get a new player who has not as big a name as Messi but Thomas Muller from Bayern Munich,” Matthaus said. “He is still a fantastic player and can still play, in my mind, from his quality and physical condition. Maybe he’s in touch with clubs in the U.S. and maybe you will see soon an ex-German national player who won the 2014 World Cup. All of these things can improve soccer in the U.S.”
Bayern Munich is in Group C of the Club World Cup with Auckland City of New Zealand, Boca Juniors of Argentina and Benfica of Portugal. Bayern plays Auckland City on June 15 in Cincinnati, Boca Juniors June 20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and Benfica on June 24 in Charlotte.
Matthaus said Bayern is gearing up for the summer tournament.
“Boca and Bayern Munich are so famous worldwide; they don’t have only fans in Argentina and in Germany,” Matthaus said. “I think this will be a high-level game in the first round, I think the stadium will be sold out, and we will have a beautiful, happy atmosphere.”
The German club secured its 34th Bundesliga title last weekend with two games to spare. After its final two games, players will have a week to 10 days of vacation before reconvening to prepare for the Club World Cup.
“As for the players, they are really motivated to play this Club World Cup because, everybody knows it, there’s a lot of money at stake,” Matthaus said. “If you win, you can make more than 100 million dollars. And the money is talking in football. When you make this money, you can invest in the team, in players, in infrastructure. Bayern and all the other clubs will be very motivated.”
Tickets for the Club World Cup are available at fifa.com and Ticketmaster.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 3:46 PM.