WATCH: Palmeiras defender who vowed to celebrate like Cristiano Ronaldo infront of Lionel Messi ironically gets injured as Inter Miami score

Palmeiras defender Murilo, who wanted to pull off Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration in front of Lionel Messi, was injured in Inter Miami's 2-2 draw in the FIFA Club World Cup. The MLS side qualified for the knockouts of the tournament after ranking second in the group stage behind Palmeiras with five points.

Ahead of Palmeiras' clash against Inter Miami, Murilo spoke to TyC Sports about pulling a Cristiano Ronaldo celebration if he scores against Messi's side. He said (via Bolavip):

"I’m Team CR7. I think he’s very complete. I think his ego is also something good, something positive. (...) Yes, yes, I’ll do it [celebrate like Ronaldo if he scores]. Yes.

However, things turned out quite different from his expectations as he was ironically subbed-off due to an injury in the 16th minute. The defender injured himself right before Tadeo Allende's opening goal for the Herons, as the pain prevented him from running behind the MLS forwards. Bruno Fuchs replaced Murilo immediately. Watch the gameplay here:

Following the 2-2 draw, both Palmeiras and Inter Miami have qualified for the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup. Lionel Messi's side will next face his former club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), in the next stage on June 29.

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When Lionel Messi spoke about his iconic rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo following impressive display for Inter Miami

Earlier this month, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami beat Porto 2-1 in the FIFA Club World Cup (June 19) in their only win in the group stages. The match was well-remembered for the legendary Argentine's free-kick (54') which marked the Herons' winning goal. In the post-match press conference with DS Sports, Messi was asked about his two-decade-long rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo. He said (via All About Argentina):

"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he’s had and continues to have, because he’s still competing at the highest level. The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team."

He continued:

"Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We’re not friends obviously because we don’t spend time together, but we’ve always treated each other with a lot of respect."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated football over the last two decades, giving rise to an age-old rivalry. Pundits and fans will perhaps forever remain divided on who's the better footballer. Despite leaving European football around two years ago, both legends remain at the top of their game for Al-Nassr and Inter Miami, respectively.

Ronaldo led Portugal to their second UEFA Nations League earlier this month after beating Spain 5-3 on penalties in the final. Meanwhile, Messi has been in top form to lead the Herons far in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar