Lionel Messi met with a hostile environment during Inter Miami‘s away game for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup against Monterrey, who made sure to let the Argentine know he was not at home. In fact, Rayados fans even chanted for Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Cristiano, Cristiano, Cristiano,” chants were heard at the end of the first half as Messi walked towards the tunnel that leads to the locker room. Before that, many Rayados supporters had already booed Messi and his teammates when they entered the field for warm-up drills.
More boos were heard every time Messi touched the ball at the beginning of the game, and later in the game, with Monterrey winning 2-0 and a place in the semifinals practically sealed, fans chanted “Olé” every time their players passed the ball. In the end, the Liga MX giants won 3-1 (5-2 on aggregate).
Of course, there were hundreds of Messi fans at Estadio BBVA as well, many of them with the Argentine national team or the Inter Miami jersey with signs asking for an autograph or a picture with the 8x Ballon d’Or winner.
“CRISTIANO, CRISTIANO” Messi abandona el campo al finalizar el primer tiempo con gritos de los aficionados de Rayados que le recuerdan a su gran rival Cristiano Ronaldo
Before that, other fans of the former Barcelona ace gathered outside the hotel where Inter Miami were staying to give Leo a warm welcome to the city. But of course, the atmosphere at the game was different as Rayados wanted to win.
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Other times Messi heard Ronaldo chants and vice versa
This is not the first time an opponent chants for Ronaldo during an away Inter Miami game featuring Messi, though the last time it happened it didn’t work well for Nashville SC.
In the first leg of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16, some fans at Geodis Park started to chant for the former Real Madrid star just seconds before Messi fired home a great shot from outside the box, paving the way for a 2-2 draw as Miami started losing 2-0.
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Video: Nashville fans chant for Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi responds
On the other hand, Ronaldo hears fans chanting for Messi pretty much every time he plays an away game for Al-Nassr. Unlike the 36-year-old, who doesn’t seem to pay much attention to it, the chants often get under Cristiano’s skin.
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Cristiano Ronaldo losses it with Al-Shabab fans who chanted "Messi, Messi"
The Portuguese star usually reacts when the Messi chants appear, but he took things to another level in a road match against Al Shabab, making an obscene gesture that saw him get a one-game suspension.
