Lionel Messi denied his absence from a match in Hong Kong two weeks ago that angered China was a political snub, but was caused by an injury.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is idolized by fans in China, but stayed on the bench during Inter Miami’s 4-1 win in a pre-season tour match against a Hong Kong select XI on Feb. 4.
A near 40,000 sellout crowd, who had paid upwards of HK$1,000 (US$128) to see the 36-year-old superstar in action, chanted “refund,” gave thumbs-down signs and booed Messi and the team’s co-owner David Beckham after the final whistle.
Photo: AFP
Some nationalist politicians interpreted Messi’s absence as a snub to China after the Argentina great was fit enough to take the field for 30 minutes in a friendly a few days later in Japan.
In a video posted on China’s Sina Weibo social media platform late on Monday, the World Cup-winning captain rejected claims that his no-show was “for political reasons.”
If that had been the case, he “would not have traveled” to Hong Kong in the first place, he said.
“As everyone knows, I always want to play and be in every game,” he said.
“Since the start of my career, I’ve had a very close and special relationship with China,” he said in the 140-second video. “I’ve done lots of things in China — interviews, games and events. I’ve also been there and played many times.”
His reason for not playing was due to injury, he said, specifically “inflammation of an adductor” muscle.
“As always, I send good wishes to everyone in China, who I’ve always had, and continue to have, special affection for. I hope to see you again soon,” he said.
Fans on Sina Weibo reacted quickly to the video, some in support of Messi.
“I believe the player I have always loved would never look at his fans with any kind of prejudice,” wrote one user, adding that “he always values every fan.”
“I still can’t understand how such a supreme footballer, the greatest of all time, can be pilloried online to the extent that he is considered not to love China just for missing a friendly match,” another fan wrote.
Not everyone was appeased.
“Turns out it’s still hard to say sorry after all,” read one comment.
“Give it a rest,” another said. “Run off to Japan and drink sewage.”
This is at least the third time Messi has explained why he did not play in the exhibition match, after a news conference in Tokyo and a written statement published on Sina Weibo.
The state-run Global Times earlier this month said in an editorial that Messi failed to apologize and the effect of the incident “far exceeded the realm of sports.”
Chinese sporting authorities canceled planned friendly games between Argentina and Nigeria as well as Ivory Coast in the wake of the saga.
Hong Kong politicians also weighed in, with Legislative Council member Regina Ip saying that Messi should be banned from the territory because of his “lies and hypocrisy.”
The organizer of the Hong Kong match said it would issue a 50 percent refund to ticket holders worth US$7.2 million because of Messi’s no-show.
There are signs that Messi’s latest statement might calm the waters.
Former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin, who earlier led criticism of the soccer legend, wrote on X that Messi’s “attitude seemed sincere” in the video and he personally accepts the explanation.
Nevertheless, Messi would pay a price in terms of a damaged image in China, Hu said.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
RSS