Lionel Messi, a football player from Argentina, said on Monday that his ailment prevented him from playing in a match two weeks ago in Hong Kong, which angered fans.
Lionel Messi, a football player from Argentina, said on Monday that his ailment prevented him from playing in a match two weeks ago in Hong Kong, which angered fans. Messi refuted rumors that his absence was “for political reasons” in a video that was uploaded to China’s Weibo social media network. Had this been the case, “I would not have traveled” to Hong Kong in the first place. “As everyone knows, I always want to play and be in every game,” stated the player.
On February 4, Inter Miami defeated a Hong Kong select XI 4-1, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner sitting on the bench the entire time.
Thousands of fans who had paid hefty fees to watch the World Cup-winning captain play in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese region, booed and demanded refunds when he failed to show up.
Messi is a highly marketable sportsman who people pay premium cash to watch, even in the latter stages of his trophy-laden career. He is widely regarded as the best player of his generation.
Some nationalist politicians and outlets interpreted Messi’s absence — and his subsequent appearance at a similar match in Japan — as a snub to China, without offering evidence.
