VIDEO: 'Stone-cold killer' Lionel Messi brutally trolls Orlando City as Inter Miami star appears to ask Oscar Pareja if he wants his AUTOGRAPH

Pareja’s mood had been soured by that stage, with Orlando squandering a two-goal lead on home soil. They enjoyed a dream start to proceedings, with the reigning MLS Cup champions carved open on a couple of occasions inside the opening 24 minutes.

A stirring second-half fightback saw Inter Miami claim all three points, with Messi helping to get them over the line. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner collected Golden Boot and MVP awards last season, with the plan being to defend those titles in 2026. He opened his goal account in style when firing home from the edge of the box just before the hour mark and dipping a late free-kick into the bottom corner.

After drilling a 90th-minute free-kick into the back of the net, Messi celebrated in front of Orlando City’s diehard supporters that occupy their infamous ‘Wall’. When making his way back towards the halfway line, the 38-year-old turned his attention to Pareja and Co on the bench - insinuating that he would be happy to sign autographs on request, leading to former USMNT star Alexi Lalas branding him a “stone-cold killer”.

While seeing his opposite number fall in the firing line, Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano had nothing but praise for his captain at the final whistle. He told reporters after witnessing another Messi masterclass: “In addition to being what I have said a thousand times, the best ever to play the sport, he’s a leader whose energy is contagious, but sometimes he needs to be inspired; he needs to see things on the field to start to believe and in the second half he looked much better because when we scored that quick goal we started to find him in spaces he feels comfortable.

“Also, we were giving him more options. And when he has more options to work with in the attack, he clearly has the capability of finding solutions like nobody else.”

Orlando held the upper-hand over Inter Miami last season, claiming a 3-0 victory in Fort Lauderdale before prevailing 4-1 on home soil. Messi figured in the first of those fixtures, but sat out the second with a hamstring injury.

He enjoyed his first visit to Inter & Co Stadium, with Mascherano pleased to see his team claim long-awaited bragging rights over geographical neighbours. He added: “They were very, very difficult for us last season; it’s a very strong team with a really good manager. To win here, we have to play a perfect game. The atmosphere is big here, they put us under pressure. As a player I loved playing in this type of game.

“Sometimes we overanalyse games, and the real difference is in the emotions. It is about resilience, commitment and the will to win. I congratulate my players for showing that spirit and will to win even when we were down 2-0.”

After suffering a humbling 3-0 defeat to Son Heung-min and LAFC in their first competitive game of 2026, Inter Miami’s defence of their MLS Cup crown is now up and running. They will be back in action on Saturday when facing D.C. United - with their opening five games of the new season taking place on the road as work is completed at their new Freedom Park home.