Explained: Mitja Ilenic revels why he hit Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration in front of Lionel Messi

In a dramatic encounter, Mitja Ilenic of New York City FC stole the show, not just with his goal but also with a celebration that sent social media into overdrive. The 20-year-old defender replicated Cristiano Ronaldo's famous "Siu" celebration right in front of Lionel Messi after scoring a vital equaliser in Sunday's 2-2 MLS opener against Inter Miami. 

After taunting Messi by doing Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration, Ilenic was quite proud of himself. "About the celebration, I'm a big fan of Cristiano, to be honest," he said after the game. "That was basically my dream: to do it in front of (Lionel) Messi. I would say it also shows my confidence and I'm super, super happy about it, that it happened today."

Watch the video here:

🚨🗣 Mitja Ilenič: SIUU celebration against Inter Miami?

"I'm a big fan of Cristiano to be honest. That was basically my dream to do it in front of Messi."

pic.twitter.com/u4Qn3oxlpY

— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) February 24, 2025

In addition to being playful, the moment had a symbolic meaning. Cristiano Ronaldo has been Lionel Messi's eternal rival for decades, and Ilenic combined personal fandom with on-field bravado. Tomas Aviles gave Inter Miami a good start by scoring in the fifth minute. Aviles' red card halfway through the first half, however, changed the course of events.

Lionel Messi lost his control during the game

Before Alonso Martinez gave NYCFC the lead, Ilenic scored three minutes later by putting a rebound in the net. But Messi wasn't done yet. By using Telasco Sogovia to equalise in the 100th minute, the Argentine managed to salvage a tie. However, Messi's anger flared after the game. He argued angrily with NYCFC assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy and addressed the referee, receiving a yellow card, a rare moment of emotion from the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. 

On Tuesday, Messi and Inter Miami will play Sporting KC in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup matchup, allowing them to recover. They are up 1-0 overall after Messi destroyed the victor in their last encounter last week.