Lionel Messi was a protagonist in Inter Miami’s 4-2 victory against Orlando City, in Matchday 2 of the MLS. But it wasn’t just his goals that drew the attention.
After scoring his second goal, which put them ahead on the scoreboard, Messi, 38, made some gestures that bothered more than a few.
In what appears to be a gesture of signing a paper or taking notes, many claim that the Argentine told coach Oscar Pareja that if he wanted his autograph. There are other versions that say he rather said it to the Orlando players on the bench, and others that indicate the gesture was directed at the home team’s fans.
Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/MLS via Getty Images
On the other hand, according to FOX Soccer, Messi’s gesture was directed at the home fans, but what the Argentine supposedly said was “take note” in Spanish.
Inter Miami came back and defeated Orlando City in Matchday 2 of the 2026 MLS season on Sunday, with goals from Mateo Silvetti, Messi, and Telasco Segovia.
Orlando opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a goal from Marco Pasalic. They quickly extended their lead with a goal from Martin Ojeda in the 24th minute.
At halftime, Miami’s head coach Javier Mascherano took out his left back, Noah Allen, and brought in striker Mateo Silvetti. The change generated an immediate impact, and in the 49th minute, Silvetti scored a long-range goal.
In the 57th and 90th minute Messi scored a brace. This last goal was a free kick. In addition to his two goals, the Argentine generated danger through three chances created and four shots on target.