Messi, the "king of the ball", has been really unlucky recently, first in the friendly match between Miami and Hong Kong, citing injury, he did not play football, breached his contract with a clear card, and then turned around and left the field in style. As a result, he played comfortably in Japan three days later, and he was very positive and played hard. Later, Messi was boycotted by fans because of this incident, and many sponsors temporarily terminated his contract, and the Hangzhou friendly match was also canceled. In this wave, Messi's popularity in China plummeted, and his image fell to the bottom.
Just when fans were completely disappointed in Messi, Messi actually posted a video of himself endorsing the Super Bowl advertisement on his social account, looking like he was okay and happy. This kind of self-doing behavior has sprinkled a handful of salt on the wounds of fans, triggering a new round of condemnation. At this time, Messi's Argentine fans also joined the game, but their reaction was not so fierce, and instead denounced Chinese fans as "not worthy of watching Messi's game". This makes us a little unacceptable, after all, the Messi incident happened to us, what kind of excitement did you have with Argentina? We and the Argentine fans did not interfere with the river water, but we didn't expect them to come over and choke us with a shy face? Who gave them the confidence?
Now that the matter has come to this, Messi's personal image has completely collapsed with us, and if we want to return to the top, I am afraid it will take a long time to repair it.
1. The ins and outs: The Messi incident caused strong dissatisfaction among fans
The trigger was a friendly match in Miami at the end of January. Before the game, Messi announced in a high-profile manner that he would face off against the Hong Kong team, which attracted the attention of many Chinese fans. However, on the day of the game, Messi announced that he would not be able to play on the grounds of injury, which caused strong dissatisfaction among Chinese fans.
Then came an even more dramatic scene – just three days later, Messi started a friendly match in Japan, played a full 30 minutes, and said "it's a pleasure to play here".
In contrast, Messi is obviously making excuses in Hong Kong and working hard in Japan. This duplicitous approach has sparked strong condemnation from Chinese fans.
Under the pressure of public opinion, the Hong Kong organizers promised to refund 50% of the ticket fees of the audience, and the Hangzhou friendly match with Messi scheduled for March was officially canceled.
2. Messi's response: The first article turned out to be a Super Bowl advertisement, and Chinese fans were furious again
As the turmoil continued to ferment, Messi's first response turned out to be a Super Bowl ad endorsed by himself.
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The Super Bowl is the National Football League (NFL) Grand Finale. It is usually held on the first Sunday of February each year and is one of the most important and watched sporting events in the United States every year.
The Super Bowl began in 1967 and was originally a championship matchup between the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). After the two leagues merged in 1970, the Super Bowl became the championship game of the NFL.
In addition to the intense games of the Super Bowl, halftime performances and advertising breaks are also very much watched. Many of the top bands perform at halftime, and celebrity commercials are a major feature of the Super Bowl.
This year's Super Bowl, the 58th Super Bowl in 2024, will be held in Glendale, Arizona, on February 11, when last year's champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, will face off against their opponents this season for the Super Bowl title.
Messi's ad was one minute long and took as much as $14 million, which translates to $230,000 per second, which can be called a luxury luxury. The content is a slice of Messi's life playing on the beach and interacting with fans, completely avoiding the current turmoil, and looking like the years are quiet.
In contrast, while announcing the cancellation of Messi's trip to China, Hangzhou did point out that it stood on the side of the fans and gained wide recognition.
And Messi's choice has undoubtedly watered the wounds of Chinese fans. Not only did he not give an explanation or apologize, but instead invested heavily in Super Bowl commercials to show that he still has extremely high commercial value, and this kind of business behavior that can do anything for money really makes fans sick.
3. Argentine fans joined the game and denounced Chinese fans as "not worthy of watching Messi"
When domestic public opinion generally criticized Messi, his Argentine fans also joined the debate. The Argentine fan account "All About Argentina", which has 300,000 followers, has deep sympathy for Messi, believing that Chinese fans do not deserve to watch Messi's game.
The original text of the account bluntly said: "Thank God, if that's the case, they don't deserve to watch Messi play." If they don't understand that Messi can't play due to injury, that's their problem. Instead of blaming Inter Miami and David Beckham for communication problems, they blamed the injured Messi. ”
It can be seen that Messi's Argentine fans are completely on his side, refusing to reflect on Messi's personal responsibility and his team's responsibility in this incident.
I don't think any fan base should have the right to decide who "deserves" to enjoy an athlete's game.
All fans, regardless of country, deserve an equal opportunity to appreciate the talent of top athletes. We have the largest number of football fans in the world, and we have spent time and money supporting Messi and his team. We also have the right to watch and enjoy Messi's games, and we also have the right to criticize Messi.
I understand the love that Argentine fans have for Messi, but that shouldn't turn into an attitude that excludes other fans.
Fourth, Messi's image in China has fallen to the bottom, and the road to repair is long
This incident has had a great negative impact on Messi's personal image and commercial value.
He could have used this trip to China to raise his profile and goodwill in China, where there is huge potential for sports consumption. But because of the public relations crisis caused by the Messi incident, Messi's market can almost be said to be ruined. A number of sponsors have terminated their contracts, and popularity has plummeted.
And Messi's poor crisis public relations since then has made matters worse. Not only did he not apologize and explain in time, but he played hard and performed positively in the Japanese arena. This has seriously damaged its image in the hearts of fans, and it may be even more difficult to restore trust.
Some people say that time is the best medicine, but don't forget that the Internet has a memory, and it is not as simple as everyone can forget it after a few years.