Despite trailing by a goal in the first leg of the fixture, Atlético Madrid somehow managed to turn the tables in a cagey battle against Inter Milan. It was nearly a decade since there had been a penalty shootout in this stage of the competition, and now there have been two in as many days.
Inter, who had not lost a single match in 2024 up until then, squandered their advantage at the worst possible moment as Atletico Madrid rallied from a 2-0 deficit to salvage a 2-2 draw in regular time. Amidst this dramatic turnaround, former Lyon man Memphis Depay emerged as the standout player, earning the MVP for the match.
Memphis Depay played a pivotal figure in Atletico Madrid’s victory over Inter Milan, notably scoring the crucial equalizer in the final minutes of regular time and confidently converting his chance in the penalty shootout.
However, it appears that his competitive spirit has extended beyond the pitch, as he engaged in social media banter, interestingly not with just any player from the opposing team, but rather with the rapper Kanye West.
What did Memphis say ?
Following the UEFA Champions League quarter-final victory, the Atlético striker apparently couldn’t contain his ecstasy as he turned to social media to commemorate the victory.
Using his ‘X’ account, the former Barcelona player shared a video encapsulating the match highlights, from his entry onto the field to his scoring the equalizer and his follow-up with the iconic finger-in-the-ear gesture.
The video also featured a segment of him converting the penalty in the tiebreaker and captured the enthusiastic reactions of fans. Concluding the video, he confidently expressed, ” Good Business Today”
In the caption accompanying the video, simply stating “AUPA ATLETI,” the Atlético striker appeared to make a standard celebratory post. However, upon closer inspection, it became evident that the part-time rapper had cleverly taken a swipe at Kanye West.
Because, if you listen to the audio of the video, you’ll come across Kanye West’s song ‘Carnival’ from his latest album ‘Vultures 1’ which features backing vocals from Inter Milan fans group Curva Nord.
But Memphis didn’t stop there. The Dutch striker continued his taunt towards the American rapper by taking another jab on social media.
He posted a snapshot of the video in his story with a caption directed at Kanye West, saying, “Yo, Ye, you chose the wrong team to mess with lol. This is Atlético de Madrid. Go go go now let’s go drop a song for our stadium and come join the Puma family too! Love brother,” tagging Kanye West.
Although this is surely a playful jab by the striker, Kanye West fans wasted no time defending their rapper. Many pointed out that it seemed awkward for Memphis Depay to suddenly engage in banter with Kanye West, given that there is no apparent relationship between the two. As a result, some fans labeled the saga as “cringey” and “ridiculous.”
The Background story
Kanye has by now established his keen interest in sports, being spotted regularly at NBA games and also seen frequenting a few MLS matches and sharing rooms with PSG players. But little did people know that Ye has a special bond with the Serie A side, Inter Milan, as well.
Memphis Depay’s message is speculated to be a subtle jab at the fact that the rapper Kanye West was present at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 a couple of weeks prior.
The 24-time Grammy Award winner was spotted entering the luxury skyboxes at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Accompanying him was his wife, Bianca Censori, as they settled into their seats in the stadium’s VIP box. Kanye West was joined by a group of his entourage for the event, which included musicians such as Ty Dolla $ign, Rich the Kid, and Playboi Carti.
Therefore, it is only sensible that West appears in support of Inzaghi’s side in the UEFA Champions League knockout match.
Interestingly, he recorded the chorus of the Curva Nord Milano, a member of the Inter Milan ultras, in this album to infuse a wild vibe into some of the tracks on his latest album, including ‘STARS’ and ‘CARNIVAL.’ The ultras were added to the album’s credits, too.
Memphis Depay took to Instagram to humorously tease this newfound connection between Kanye West and Inter Milan.