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MLS Rival Makes Messi Admission After Inter Miami Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 11:17 AM ET

Inter Miami CF began its 2025 Major League Soccer campaign with a 2-2 draw against New York City FC.

For NYCFC defender Mitja Ilenic, the matchup against Lionel Messi's team was more than just a game.

The Argentinian soccer star, who won the 2024 MLS MVP award, picked up where he left off last season. Messi, 37, tallied both assists in the season opener.

The first supplied Tomas Aviles for the opening goal of the match in the fifth minute, and the second set up Telasco Segovia for a 2-2 equalizer in the 10th minute of second half stoppage time.

Until the late drama arrived, it looked as though Ilenic had set up Messi to be the punchline of Inter Miami's opening weekend.

In between Inter Miami's goals, it was all NYCFC. Miami's early goalscorer Aviles was sent off in the 23rd minute, forcing the Herons to play down a man for the majority of the match.

Three minutes later, Ilenic scored for the Boys in Blue and went viral for recreating Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic goal celebration in front of Ronaldo's longtime rival, Messi.

Sneaky, sneaky @newyorkcityfc catch Miami napping. pic.twitter.com/0r22lPyyjn
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 23, 2025

Messi's clutch assist to earn the draw for Inter Miami may have given him the last laugh during the game, but that did not stop Ilenic from taking pride in trolling Messi when given the rare opportunity.

"I'm a big fan of Cristiano, to be honest," Ilenic revealed after the game. "That was basically my dream, to do it in front of Messi."

Same same, but different pic.twitter.com/h3JtGDOym0
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) February 23, 2025

Ronaldo made the "siu" (meaning "yes" in his native Portuguese) goal celebration popular during his time in Spain at Real Madrid, the sworn rival of Messi's former club, FC Barcelona.

A 20-year-old Slovenian international, Ilenic knew it was ballsy to champion his idol and involve himself in the historic Messi-Ronaldo rivalry. The opportunity afforded by his second career goal for NYCFC was too good to pass up, even if it did not decide the game.

"I would say it shows my confidence," Ilenic said. "I'm super happy about it."

Inter Miami returns to action in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday night, holding a 1-0 lead over Sporting Kansas City thanks to Messi's lone goal in the first leg of the tie.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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