Even with Lionel Messi starting after almost a month, Inter Miami were thrashed by Monterrey in the return leg of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. The Mexican side put on a show at Estadio BBVA and its social media team also had fun on the Internet.
Only a few minutes into the game, the Liga MX giants threw shade at Messi through their official English-language account. “GOAT (Greatest of all Tabasco),” a post on X (formerly Twitter) by @WeAreRayados read.
The post shows a picture of Messi fighting for the ball against Jesus Gallardo, who was born in the Mexican state of Tedesco. The left-back later scored the third of the night for the home side.
With the 3-1 win (5-2 on aggregate) and a place in the semifinal under their belt, Monterrey took another subtle jab at Messi but on their official account in Spanish. “What a great game you played, Toro!,” the X post reads along with a picture of defender Victor Guzman celebrating as Messi looks dejected.
The English account also posted a similar picture but with Gerardo Arteaga next to the former Barcelona star, while they also mocked Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender for gifting the first goal.
Gerardo Martino’s reaction to Inter Miami’s elimination
“Today’s defeat means a dream is over,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino said at a press conference. “We wanted to progress in this competition and to be able to do what Columbus Crew did yesterday here in Monterrey. Mexico’s very best teams are playing in this year’s Concachampions. I’m speaking about América, Monterrey and Tigres. I don’t include Pachuca in that because their philosophy is built on bringing through very young players.”
The Herons’ manager went on to take a dig at Major League Soccer for its roster rules, claiming the best Liga MX teams are much stronger than the greatest teams in MLS.
“These three teams normally have the biggest stars and are really very strong teams. As long as the MLS does not relax the rules a little to allow us to have bigger rosters squads to cover for injuries and suspensions, Mexican teams will obviously still have an advantage,” Martino added.