The soccer player Lionel Messi was fervently received by Chinese soccer fans as he arrived in Beijing in his private plane to play a friendly with the Argentine national team.
“Messi! Messi!” shouted hundreds of fans waiting at the airport, wearing Argentina’s typical Albiceleste jersey number 10, as shown in images posted on social media.
And, in front of his hotel, next to the Liangma River, where many Beijingers usually stroll, hundreds of other fans were waiting for him.
Various banners in English and Spanish welcomed the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Initially calm and reserved, the Chinese fans began to shout the name of their idol when they believed that the bus with the Argentine star had arrived.
A sea of selfie sticks and cell phones churned as crowds poured into the hotel lobby, where the world champion is staying, hoping to see him… in vain.
Argentina will face Australia in a friendly on June 15 at the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing, recently renovated and with a capacity of 68,000 spectators.
The match will mark the great return of international football to China, after three years of restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic, which emptied stadiums and caused a flood of cancellations of sports competitions.
Although it is a friendly match, the match is a rematch of the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup, when Argentina eliminated the Oceanic team by 2-1.
The arrival of the leader of the world champions in China was the most commented subject on the social network Weibo, similar to Twitter.
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In a video that is much talked about on the Internet, Messi is seen in a hallway at Beijing airport, blocked by two police officers. Meanwhile, he has inaudible conversations with people who seem to be on his team. Netizens suspect some mishap with their idol’s passport.
The local press claims that this is Messi’s seventh visit to China. The last one was in 2017.
This will also be the first game played by Messi after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and announcing that he will continue his career at Inter Miami.
As part of this Asian tour, Lionel Scaloni’s team will play another friendly against Indonesia in Jakarta on 19 June.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
