According to Argentine journalist Martin Amestoy, Lionel Messi’s sudden anger during Inter Miami’s match against New York City FC erupted after an opponent insulted him by calling him “De Paul’s little follower.”
The conflict began when Rodrigo De Paul repeatedly pressured the referee to issue a yellow card to an NYCFC player. NYC midfielder Maxi Moralez finally shouted:
“De Paul, enough! Stop bothering the referee!”
De Paul immediately fired back:
“Shut up! You were kicked out of Racing Club, remember?”
Moralez retorted:
“Getting released by a club still takes courage to face—just like I did!”
Unfazed, De Paul sneered:
“If I want to go back to Racing, I’ll go back. Worst case, I’ll just buy the club!”
That line set Moralez off. He shot back:
“If you were really that tough, you wouldn’t have chickened out! We were fighting for the Copa Libertadores and you ran off to Miami to vacation at age 30!”
At this moment, Messi suddenly stepped in, shouting furiously at Moralez:
“You must respect me! Do you hear me? You must respect me!”
Moralez fired back with a brutal jab:
“Respect? Aren’t you just his little sidekick?”
That insult hit a nerve. Messi exploded:
“Fine! Meet me outside the locker room!”
Moralez didn’t back down for a second:
“Let’s go then, idiot! I grew up in New York—I fight every day back home! You think I’m scared?”
The heated exchange ignited a full-on confrontation on the pitch.
