Inter Miami was one of the last clubs to earn a spot in the upcoming Club World Cup… although it was quite controversial, since it was invited by FIFA as a team from the tournament’s host country (United States) without meeting any sporting criteria. Sergio Busquets, one of the team's stars, spoke about it at the F1 Grand Prix held this weekend in Miami… and made some statements that surely surprised Inter Miami fans.

“We're not at the level to compete in the Club World Cup”

Sergio Busquets was completely honest about Inter Miami’s real chances of making a good impression at the upcoming Club World Cup, where they've been placed in Group A alongside Al Ahly, Palmeiras, and Porto. A group that fans might have gotten excited about, hoping to reach the knockout rounds… until Sergio Busquets crushed expectations.

In an interview with DAZN, Sergio Busquets acknowledged that Inter Miami is far behind the competitive standard of most teams participating in the Club World Cup. “It’s clear that we’re not at the level to compete in the Club World Cup. But we’ll try to compete in the group, take it game by game, fight, and hopefully move on to the next round, although it’s going to be tough,” said one of Inter Miami’s stars just over a month before the tournament begins.

Mascherano disagrees with Busquets’ opinion

Not even the presence of Javier Mascherano stopped Sergio Busquets from being honest with this kind of statement. Despite their recent win over New York Red Bull in MLS, Inter Miami had a disastrous week that ended with their elimination in the ConcaChampions semifinals against Vancouver Whitecaps. In response, Busquets was highly critical after the match.

Javier Mascherano, however, did not share Sergio Busquets' opinion and made that clear in the post-match press conference. “I don’t agree with that criticism because Busquets is having a great season and, in my view, he’s one of the best players on the team. I have no doubt about that. Talking with him, he feels really good, very happy, and I’d even go as far as to say he wants to keep playing—something he wasn’t sure about last year.”