Faced with Miami, new coach Rivero: Messi needs to be "specially cared for"

There are only a few days left before Al Ahli faces International Miami in the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup opening match, and coach Jose Rivero admitted that Messi will need special care. As the new coach of Al Ahli, Rivero's official debut could not be better - this game will be the opening game of the new club World Cup after the expansion of the army on June 14 (Saturday). The Egyptian giants play against International Miami, who qualifies as host representatives.

This means that Rivero now has to prepare to face players of Messi, and behind Messi is a star-studded lineup composed of stars such as Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. In an interview with ESPN, Rivero admitted that Messi needed special care.

"I am very happy to be here and lead the team to the Club World Cup. We have a responsibility to do well in the event and we will play against strong teams from beginning to end," the Spanish coach said.

"It is very difficult to prepare for a game against Messi. The best thing you can do is to be disciplined when facing him. Sometimes we need to keep things under control before the ball is passed to Messi. Messi is a player who needs special care when he gets the ball. Of course, he has long been used to being closely guarded throughout his career, but at the end of the day, he is one of a strong and powerful team. We will be fully prepared for this confrontation and we look forward to seeing what happens in the game."