“Lionel Messi is one of them” - Sergio Ramos makes feelings clear about facing ex-Barcelona rival and Inter Miami after joining Monterrey

Following his move to Mexico, new Monterrey defender Sergio Ramos has shared his thoughts on possibly rekindling hostilities with former Barcelona star Lionel Messi. The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammates could face each other in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, with Messi's Inter Miami also in the competition.

Ramos joined Monterrey after several months without a club, as the Mexican side gear up to compete on multiple fronts this season. The defender, who turns 39 in March, recently said he was looking forward to facing the best players with his new club.

In his interview with Multimedios Deportes (via Sports Illustrated), he named Messi and a few of his former Barcelona teammates at Inter Miami as examples. Ramos said:

"I think it's always a great opportunity and creates a lot of excitement to face the best players. Leo [Messi] is one of them, and now he's in the MLS, but that gives us the chance to meet in the future. We just need to take it one step at a time and see what happens."

He added:

"I’m not sure if it will happen, but we won’t have any issues facing Miami. They have players like Jordi Alba, [Sergio] Busquets, and [Luis] Suarez, so it would be great. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there."

Inter Miami and Monterrey are on the same side of the CONCACAF Champions Cup bracket and can only meet in the semifinals of the competition, if they make it that far. Lionel Messi and his teammates will commence their campaign in the competition against Sporting KC in an all-MLS affair on February 18.

Monterrey and Inter Miami are both in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled for later this year, and could face each other in the competition. They clashed in the Champions Cup quarterfinals last year, with the Mexican side going through (5-2 on aggregate), as Messi missed the first leg with an injury.

Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos were on opposite sides of the Barcelona-Real Madrid divide as bitter rivals for 16 years. They became teammates in 2021 when they moved to France, and remained so until both left PSG in 2023.

Lionel Messi joined by ex-Barcelona teammates in rare Super Bowl appearance

Lionel Messi made his first appearance at the Super Bowl this year and was joined by a few of his former Barcelona teammates. The 37-year-old was in attendance for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday (February 9).

Messi shared a VIP box with Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, three of his closest friends and teammates at Inter Miami. They witnessed the Eagles, who won 40-22, deny their opponents a third successive Super Bowl triumph in New Orleans.

The quartet have been busy preparing for the 2025 MLS season and just concluded their pre-season tour of Latin America with a 5-0 win over CD Olimpia (February 8). They will face fellow MLS side Orlando City on US soil in their final friendly game on Friday (February 14).