Hong Kong Fan Killed Messi Twice ‘No-Show’ Due To Injury, Will Play In Japan Match

Hong Kong fans Killed Messi Twice are once again angry at Lionel Messi (37, Inter Miami), who caused the ‘no-show incident’. Messi, who had missed the Hong Kong friendly without notice, appeared in the match against Japan held three days later. Messi’s social media is receiving criticism from fans in Hong Kong and China.

Inter Miami played a friendly match against J-League Vissel Kobe at the Tokyo National Stadium in Japan on the evening of the 7th. The focus of this game was whether Messi would participate or not. This is because he caused controversy by not playing in the friendly match against Hong Kong held on the 4th due to injury.

Messi came on as a substitute for David Luiz in the 15th minute of the second half of the day and played on the pitch for 30 minutes until the final whistle sounded. In the 35th minute of the second half, he made two shots, but was blocked by the defense and could not score.

This scene actually made Hong Kong and Chinese fans more angry. On Messi’s Instagram, he said, “I was a fan of Messi for over 10 years, but this incident really cannot be tolerated.” “Has his injury healed in the meantime?” “If you don’t respect Chinese fans, you don’t deserve to come to China.” “An insult to Chinese fans.” The same criticism poured in.

Chinese state-run Global Times said, “Among Inter Miami’s six preseason friendly games, the only game Messi missed was against Hong Kong,” adding, “Doubts about Inter Miami and Messi’s sincerity (against China) are bound to grow.” He said, “The impact of this issue went beyond the realm of sports.” It is said that complaints are also being filed against the liquor company ‘Chishuihe’, for which Messi is an advertising model.

There is speculation that the Argentine national team’s trip to China, scheduled for March, may be cancelled. Xu Zexin, a Chinese soccer critic, said on social media on the 8th, “There is a series of news about the contract termination of the organizers and sponsoring brands that promoted friendly matches for the Argentina national team,” and “Argentina’s trip to China in March of this year was 99% canceled.” The Argentine Football Association announced last month that friendly matches against Nigeria and Ivory Coast would be held in Hangzhou and Beijing, China, respectively, in March.

Previously, Inter Miami played against the Hong Kong All-Stars in a friendly match held in Hong Kong on the 4th. At that time, 38,000 spectators flocked to see Messi, and ticket prices rose up to 4,880 Hong Kong dollars (about 840,000 won). However, Messi did not play in the game without notice due to injury. Angry Hong Kong fans booed Messi and even damaged a Messi billboard. Some fans even warned, “If Messi’s injury is true, he shouldn’t even play in the friendly match against Japan,” and “we will watch.”

Afterward, Messi said at a press conference held in Tokyo on the 6th, “I felt pain in my adductor muscles. He apologized, saying, “It wasn’t a major injury, but it was difficult for him to play in Hong Kong.”

Meanwhile, the 60,000-seat Tokyo National Stadium, where the friendly match between Inter Miami and Kobe was held, was not even half full. There is an analysis that the game failed to attract a full crowd due to lack of interest from Japanese fans who were concerned about Messi’s absence.

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