The Argentine comprehensive newspaper "El País" reported on Messi's turmoil in China:
Messi's absence from a friendly match in Hong Kong, China, only to play in another friendly in Japan three days later has heightened the anger of Chinese fans and media, who have accused the Argentine star of hostile actions against China. The captain of the World Cup-winning team was booed and abused by fans after being absent from an international warm-up match in Miami on Sunday in Hong Kong, China, due to injury. Fans paid a whopping HK$4,800 (US$500) to demand a refund of their tickets and remained silent amid a thank-you speech from club co-owner David Beckham.
Just three days later, the "No. 10" player played for half an hour in a friendly match in Japan, further infuriating Chinese fans who felt they had been deceived. On Friday, event organiser Tatler Asia said it was "deeply sorry" and promised a 50% refund for ticket buyers. In an editorial, the influential Global Times stressed that "Messi's absence from the Hong Kong game is the only one he has missed in six pre-season friendlies" and questioned "the integrity of Inter Miami and Messi".
"Messi and Inter Miami can't just ignore the fans and public opinion. Messi is not only a player, but also a public figure," the article reads. "If there is a mistake or violation of his integrity, it will trigger a huge negative reaction. The article recalls that the Argentine national team is scheduled to play two friendly matches in China in March, and that less than a year ago, the team visited Beijing and signed an important advertising contract. "[Messi] expects to give a reasonable explanation by that date," the Global Times said. In the editorial, the newspaper even suggested that foreign forces were conspiring to damage the city's reputation.
The parties asked for an explanation from the organizers of the tournament, who gave up the public funds for the tournament and said that they had received several assurances that Messi would play in the tournament. Messi said his absence from the Hong Kong game was "unfortunate" and hoped to return to the city. But a senior adviser to the local government countered that Messi "should never have been allowed to come back". "The people of Hong Kong hate Messi, Miami International and the black hands behind them because of their deliberate and systematic contempt for Hong Kong," she said on social media. She added: "Their lies and hypocrisy are disgusting. ”
In Chinese mainland, where many fans traveled to Hong Kong for matches, Messi was a hot topic on social media Weibo throughout the week. In a post published on his account, Messi expressed regret for not being able to participate in the game, receiving a large number of sarcastic comments and memes in response. Some photoshopped Messi in the costume of an Imperial Japanese soldier to allude to the star's participation in the Tokyo game. One user said: "Messi is very nasty and arrogant, which is really annoying. ”
The issue is sensitive: Hong Kong actress Gao Haining had to apologize on the platform after local media expressed her understanding of Messi's absence from the Hong Kong game. Hu Xijin, a well-known editorialist, called on netizens to express "restrained criticism so as not to elevate his status." "It's as if his careless behavior will affect our great country and hurt the feelings of our society as a whole," he said. ”
A negative tour. Since Inter Miami started the first match of its World Tour, Messi has played 238 minutes, spread across five matches, namely: 45 minutes against El Salvador (0-0 draw), 64 minutes against Dallas (0-1 loss), 88 minutes against Riyadh Crescent (3-4 loss), 7 minutes against Riyadh Victory (0-6 defeat) and 34 minutes against Japanese teams on Wednesday. During that time, he missed the team's only win in the entire preseason: a 4-1 victory.
Overall, Inter Miami's superstars played an average of 39 minutes per game. Not even half a game. That's too little for a tour that aims to sell the team's brand to the world. But for a footballer who is already 36 years old and has just been on vacation for almost two months, it is a lot: his last official match was against Brazil on November 21, at the Maracanã Stadium.
From a sporting point of view, pre-season did not bring any positive conclusions to Tata Martino. Aside from the revenue from the finance department and the marketing behind each appearance, Inter Miami is more of a Messi football club than a club aspiring to be competitive in the new season. What's more, it will face four competitions: Major League Soccer, CONCACAF Champions League, American Open Cup, and League Cup. Draining the energy of a core player over 30 years old (with the exception of Messi, 36, Luis Suarez, who is 37; Busquets 35; Jordi Alba 34) does not seem to be the best strategy for a team that is likely to play 66 games between February and December. Time will tell.
To complete the final four races, the Miami international squad flew nearly 22,000 kilometers: from Miami to Riyadh (12,029 km), from Riyadh to Hong Kong (6,810 km) and from there to Tokyo (2,879 km). It only conducted two training sessions that were open to the public – which meant everything to the coaching staff – one in Hong Kong and the other in Japan. The tour could have been called a "Messi tour" instead of "going global". At the end of the day, it's a test of the Argentine icon's charisma.
In these four matches in Asia, Messi played 129 minutes, and the number of kilometers flown by Miami International (21,718 km) divided by the number of minutes Messi was on the pitch easily concluded that Messi flew 168 kilometers for every 60 seconds he played on the pitch. Miami International used the tour to launch several sponsors, including one Argentine winery that would become its official wine sponsor, and its revenue went the other way. For example, two games in Saudi Arabia earned about $10 million from ticket revenue alone. In Hong Kong, 40,000 people sat on the pitch and couldn't see the Argentine player. There were also many people who paid to watch the previous day's training.