Can Lionel Messi guide Inter Miami to FIFA Club World Cup glory?… Legendary commentator says ‘He’s got that sparkle’

EXCLUSIVE: Lionel Messi could deliver something special at the FIFA Club World Cup, according to a commentator, who thinks the Argentinian is determined to make an impact.

Inter Miami start their campaign tomorrow in a group stage match against Al Ahly at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, USA.

Conor McNamara expects something epic from Lionel Messi at the FIFA Club World Cup

In the latest chapter of his esteemed commentary career, Conor McNamara will take to the mic to call the action in a highly anticipated tournament.

With a massive weight of expectation on his shoulders, the Irishman is expecting Lionel Messi to rise to the occasion and put on a stellar performance throughout the competition.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, he said: “This is one of the great things about the tournament. The thing I say that’s brilliant about the FA Cup is that you’re pitting teams against each other that would never normally play against each other. That’s the great unknown. There’s nothing worse in sport than when things are predictable. We genuinely don’t know.

“Messi’s team haven’t been pulling up all the trees in America themselves this season. But look back through his career, he tends to peak at the big tournaments when it counts, and there’s a lot of attention on this tournament. I’m sure he’s circled it on his calendar to make sure he’s in the best form that he can be. He’s just got that sparkle. I don’t think there’s any opponent who’s going to stand in the tunnel, see they’re playing against Messi, and think ‘This is going to be easy’.

“I really hope we get a few moments, you’d love to see a few Messi free kicks and those assists he provides.”

WOW: Pele was better than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo according to a football legend

Conor McNamara reveals crazy Zinedine Zidane memory

Throughout his career, McNamara has enjoyed many a sensational moment, but nothing quite stands out like watching Zinedine Zidane produce a masterful display against a star-studded Brazilian side.

He beamed: “I’ve been really lucky to work at every World Cup since 1998, looking back over the years, there’s been some great trips, going to Brazil and South Africa. When people ask me for my favourite game, I very often go back to 2006 in Germany. I was commentating on a quarter-final game between France and Brazil. You might remember back in those times, there used to be a viral advert with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, and they’re kicking the balls about.

“That’s the kind of Brazil team that showed up at that World Cup. So, everyone was expecting them to win the tournament. For France, they’d had a gun run, but the likes of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Viera, were very much getting to the last chance saloon, and people didn’t think they could do it again, maybe a bit of a parallel with Messi going into this Club World Cup.

“But I remember commentating on that game, and if France lost, it was Zidane’s last match; he’d already announced it. Of course, he’d do the headbutt in the final and go out in that blaze of infamy. But in that particular game, if you look back at the highlights, never in my career have I seen one player do more to infiltrate the entire flow of the play. He was nutmegging Roberto Carlos, he was flicking the ball over the top of Ronaldinho, running on and collecting on the other side. He was outrageous. 

“Speaking now, I’m getting hairs on my arm tingling at the memory. I was sitting there, World Cup commentary position on the halfway line, thinking, ‘How am I lucky enough to be commentating on this’?” 

Watch every game on DAZN for free. Sign up to DAZN today

Featured Image Credit: Getty