Al Ahly head coach José Ribeiro has spoken highly of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi ahead of their encounter in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Ahly will face Inter Miami at 3:00 AM on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, in the opening match of the expanded tournament.
Speaking in his pre-match interview, José Ribeiro said that while he recognises the quality of Messi and Suarez, his team will focus on stopping the entire Inter Miami team on the matchday and not just the individual players.
“Of course, Messi is a player everyone knows. We’re not going to discover him now. He’s a fantastic player with incredible abilities, and we’ve trained and prepared well to stop him.
“We know him well and have watched him in every match. We monitored him using special techniques because a player with his abilities requires a clear plan to stop him, not just him but also the other stars of the team, such as Luis Suarez,” José Ribeiro said.
He continued: “Suarez and Messi? They are experienced players. We know their great abilities, and our focus is not only on them, but on all the Inter Miami players. The team plays as a team, and we play as a team, too.”
Besides Inter Miami, Al Ahly will also face Palmeiras and FC Porto in the group stages of the 2025 FIFA Inter Club World Cup.
