The start of the 32-team Club World Cup is just around the corner. On Saturday, June 14, Inter Miami, one of the home teams, will kick off the event alongside the African giants Al Ahly.
The tournament, which brings together the best of world football in the United States, will be an opportunity to admire the feats of old champions we have come to know in Europe and, in many cases, in the Italian league. Let’s see who they are.
The Barça Colony
Inter Miami is one of the major attractions of the MLS and will be just as much during the first edition of the 32-team Club World Cup. The reason is the presence in the squad of four former Barcelona legends. In addition to Lionel Messi (37 years old), captain and absolute star of the club, the Herons can count on the qualities of Luis Suarez (38), Sergi Busquets (36), and Jordi Alba (36).
The Former Milan Wall
At the venerable age of 40, Thiago Silva will lead Fluminense in this competition, which the former defender of Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea won when he wore the Blues of London jersey and the format included only seven participants.
The World Champion Duo
The Los Angeles Galaxy was the last team to qualify for the Club World Cup thanks to their victory in the play-in against Club America. Thus, the French world champions Hugo Lloris (38 years old) and Olivier Giroud (38), who moved to MLS together in 2024 after the end of their contracts with Tottenham and Milan, earned at the last minute the opportunity to participate in the world showcase.
The Real Legend
After leaving Real Madrid in 2021, Sergio Ramos (39 years old) did not have very fortunate experiences at Paris Saint-Germain and his Sevilla. For this reason, he decided to start anew with Monterrey, with whom he will face Inter in the group stage of the Club World Cup.
The Old Lions of Argentina
Boca Juniors and River Plate, the two Argentine representatives at the Club World Cup, enter the tournament with three old acquaintances of European and, particularly, Italian football. The Xeneizes have called up both former Palermo and Napoli player Edinson Cavani (38 years old) and former Sampdoria and Venezia goalkeeper Sergio Romero (38). The Millionaireson the other hand, at the start of this season, brought back to their homeland the former Fiorentina captain German Pezzella (33).
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
📸 CHANDAN KHANNA – AFP or licensors
