Al-Hilal could not resist the temptation to poke fun at Inter Miami star Lionel Messi after he came off second-best to Ruben Neves during a friendly clash between the two teams on Monday.
Al-Hilal and Inter Miami are stepping up their preparations ahead of returning to competitive action next month, with the Saudi Pro League set to resume after its winter break, while the 2024 MLS season will get underway.
Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Al-Hilal an early lead, and then came the moment when Neves turned away from Messi, leaving the Argentine icon in a heap on the floor.
Neves has been one of the major success stories in the Saudi Pro League since leaving Wolves to move to the Middle East last summer.
Ruben Neves turned away from Lionel Messi and left him in a heap on the floor in the first half
Al-Hilal quickly took to social media to mock Messi after Neves got the better of him
Messi got some redemption by scoring a penalty in the second half, while team-mate Luis Suarez also got on the scoresheet
The 26-year-old has emerged as a key player for his new club, helping them to open up a seven-point lead over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr at the top of the table.
Neves has scored once and registered four assists in 18 league appearances, and Al-Hilal have only dropped four points all season.
Meanwhile, it was an embarrassing moment for Messi as he looks to get into top condition after a stunning 2023.
Fresh off the back of winning the World Cup with Argentina at the end of 2022, Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or last year ahead of Erling Haaland, and pipped the Manchester City striker to FIFA’s The Best award as well.
He has now been joined by former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez at Inter Miami, and the Uruguayan got on the scoresheet to bring his side back into the game against Al-Hilal.
Inter Miami trailed 3-1 at the interval, but scored two early second-half goals, including a Messi penalty, to pull level at 3-3.
But Malcom scored late on for Al-Hilal to hand them a 4-3 victory.
