Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami side faced off against Al-Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup as the MLS club stepped up their pre-season preparation.
Despite Inter Miami fielding an eleven featuring new signing Luis Suarez alongside the likes of Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, it was Al-Hilal who ran out victorious.
The Saudi Pro League side beat Inter Miami 4-3 after an 88th-minute winner from Brazilian winger, Malcom.
Despite the defeat, Messi got in on the act with a second-half penalty to add to Suarez's first-half strike.
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The Ballon d'Or holder also provided the assist that leveled the match at 3-3 in the second half.
Inter Miami might have actually accepted the full-time score at halftime, as the MLS club found themselves 3-1 down after a very comfortable first 45 minutes for Al-Hilal who were surprisingly dominant throughout the match.
Messi was on the end of some digs throughout the game, with the official Al-Hilal social media team posting an image of Messi losing out to Ruben Neves with the caption: "It's okay Leo.. you're not the first. #RollsRuben.”
The 36-year-old was also reminded of his long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo during the game, as Al-Hilal forward, Michael, performed the iconic "siu" celebration when he put his team 3-1 up.
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Despite this apparent affiliation with the Portuguese superstar, Michael was actually extremely complimentary of Messi after the game.
“I thank all those involved in the Riyadh Season Cup, which allowed us to face the best player in the world, Lionel Messi," Michael explained.
“I am not worth anything in front of Messi, so I should not be compared to him. I am a big admirer of Messi and I love him very much.”
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Messi will get a chance to face off against his old enemy on Thursday, as Inter Miami's trip to the middle-east concludes against Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Football, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League
Tom Jenkins