‘There are no friends on the pitch’ – Achraf Hakimi looks to Lionel Messi reunion | OneFootball

When Lionel Messi (38) left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami, few would have expected the two clubs to clash in an official meeting. However, the expanded FIFA Club World Cup has allowed for Messi and his former team to be reunited on the 29th of June in the round of 16.

The relationship between the 2022 World Cup winner and his former team has been strained. Messi has previously stated that “I lived there for two years and I didn’t like it. I wasn’t happy on a daily basis, in training, in games, I had a hard time adapting to all of it.” While, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has revealed that he believes the Argentine has lacked respect in his criticism of the club.

There are more than a few of Messi’s old teammates in the PSG squad, even if fellow superstars Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé have followed suit and left the capital club. Achraf Hakimi (26), for one, was quick to remember the good times, “It will be nice to see Messi again. There were a lot of great moments.”

However, the occasion will be far from a catch-up between former colleagues, as he explains, “On the pitch, there are no friends. He’s going to try and win, and we’re going to try and win too. We’re going to give everything to try and get through to the next round.”

GFFN | Nick Hartland