Please register to access this content.
To continue viewing the content you love, please sign in or create a new account
Dismiss
This content is for our paying subscribers only

Sport Football

Messi insists Hong Kong no-show was due to injury, not politics

Sports bosses in China subsequently canceled two friendly matches featuring Argentina



Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, center, looks on after the first half of the friendly football match between Hong Kong Team and US Inter Miami CF at the Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 (File photo)
Image Credit: AP

Buenos Aires: Argentine football star Lionel Messi insisted Monday that his absence from a match in Hong Kong two weeks ago that drew the ire of spectators was not a snub but prompted by injury.

Get exclusive content with Gulf News WhatsApp channel

In a video posted on China's Weibo social media platform, Messi rejected chatter that his no-show was "for political reasons" and said if this had 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," he said.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner stayed on the bench throughout Inter Miami's 4-1 win against a Hong Kong select XI on February 4.

Advertisement

read more

His no-show drew boos and calls for refunds from thousands of fans who had shelled out large sums to see the World Cup-winning captain play in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Widely considered the best player of his generation, Messi is a highly marketable sportsman who people around the world will pay top dollar to see, even in the twilight of his trophy-laden career.

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.

Sports bosses in China subsequently canceled two friendly matches featuring world champions Argentina.

Advertisement

Messi spoke in his video of a "very nice and very close" relationship with China, a country with which he said he had "done a lot of things" including matches and events.

His reason for not playing, the star striker said, was due to injury, specifically "inflammation of an adductor" muscle.

Advertisement