WHAT HAPPENED?
France international Dembele was once a team-mate of fellow World Cup winner Messi at Barcelona. They spent four years together in Catalonia, prior to the Argentine icon making his own move to PSG in 2021.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
They have now been reunited at the Club World Cup. Champions League winners PSG faced MLS Cup hopefuls Inter Miami at the last-16 stage of that competition, and the European heavyweights from the French capital ran out 4-0 winners in Atlanta.

DID YOU KNOW?
Messi swapped shirts with former team-mate Achraf Hakimi at the final whistle, but also handed a jersey, his shorts and boots to Dembele after linking up with another familiar face behind the scenes.
WHAT DEMBELE SAID
Messi was all smiles despite suffering a one-sided defeat to PSG, with Dembele saying in a social media message to the South American GOAT: “Good to see you again @leomessi, the greatest of all time. I hope you continue to make history with the @intermiamicf like in this World Club.”
WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?
Messi, who is no stranger to shirt swaps, will be turning his attention back to MLS action as Dembele - who is considered to be a leading contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or - prepares to face Harry Kane and Bayern Munich in the Club World Cup quarter-finals.