23 February 2024 , 18:19
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The embarrassed MLS star who inadvertently fell victim to Lionel Messi's quick-thinking dribbling skills while laying injured on the floor has broken his silence.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or victor put on a masterclass for the expectant crowd at DRV PNK Stadium in the first game of Inter Miami's new campaign versus Real Salt Lake. En route to inspiring his team to a hard-fought 2-0 victory, the veteran could not help himself as the opportunity presented itself to exhibit a sublime piece of footwork.
The 36-year-old left spectators awe-struck as he bobbed and weaved past stupefied Salt Lake defender Brayan Vera before executing an exquisite chip over the flailing leg of another opponent. Rolling back the years with his instinctive flair, the clip of Messi's moment of genius subsequently went viral online.
Now, the man who the Argentinian hero left in his wake has reflected on being thrust into the worldwide limelight after being on the receiving end of a humiliation. Reflecting on the incident involving the World Cup winner, opponent Andrew Brody took to Instagram to react to some stills of his infamous encounter with the striker.
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In a humorous post on his Stories section, the 28-year-old defender clearly was able to see the funny side after seeing some close ups of the moment. Re-posting two snaps of himself on the floor after picking up an apparent hand injury, he captioned them saying: "For those asking, yes I was the cone on the ground there."
This example of sumptuous skill was just one instance of Messi's mastery during a memorable performance in Vice City's win, as co-owner David Beckham watched on from the stands. Coming in the 43rd minute, this moment was sandwiched between a couple of crucial contributions to Miami's goals on the night.
Taking the game by the scruff of the neck, he provided the assist for Robert Taylor's opener in the 39th minute, after receiving the ball from old Barcelona colleague Sergio Busquets on the half-turn. Embarking on a typically direct charge at the Salt Lake backline, he slipped in his teammate, who finished off the move with a scuffed strike.
Lionel Messi bamboozled one defender before leaving another grounded star in his wake
Lionel Messi's latest moment of sublime genius proved a hit with spectatorsWith Miami hanging onto their lead heading into injury time, Messi was involved again as the team put the result beyond doubt in the 83rd minute. This time, he combined with his old partner-in-crime Luis Suarez, after picking up the ball near the half-way line before holding off the challenges of his baying opponents.
Laying the ball off as he approached the 18-yard-box, his Uruguayan teammate showed his telepathy with Messi has not diminished as he flicked his pass on to find Diego Gomez. From there, the midfielder executed his finish well as he put the seal on a well-earned victory in front of the home crowd.
This goal demonstrated that Suarez and Messi are going to be a difficult force to contain for MLS defences in the coming months. Speaking in positive tone following the win, the former said: "I knew I was going to face tough competition (in MLS). And Inter Miami, being one of the favourites for the title, we knew we were going to play always against full force."