2024-02-06 11:01:00
Argentine star Lionel Messi spoke about the possibility of participating in a friendly match between his team Inter Miami in Tokyo against Vissel Kobe, stressing that he has improved a lot compared to the past few days, after he disappointed a large number of fans in Hong Kong with his absence from a friendly football match.
The Argentine star sat on the bench in the confrontation that was held at the Hong Kong Stadium against the League Stars team there, which was filled to capacity with fans, causing a public relations crisis for the competing team in the American League and the match organizers.
Speaking to the media for the first time after the fans booed the team and co-owner David Beckham, Messi confirmed on Tuesday that his inability to play left him “disappointed,” noting that his absence was the result of swelling in the connective muscle.
Messi added: “But the truth is that the pain was still there and it was very difficult to play. I can understand that people were looking forward to the match and I hope that I will have another opportunity to play in Hong Kong.”
Messi continued: “For tomorrow, I don’t know, we will need to see how training goes today. We still don’t know if I will be able to participate, but I am in much better condition compared to the past days and I want to be able to play.”
The 36-year-old player told a press conference in a Tokyo hotel: “In Hong Kong, we held an open training session and I participated as there was a large number of fans (…) and I wanted to be there and participate.”
The Inter Miami captain, who led Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup, did not confirm whether he would participate in a friendly match against Japanese champion Vissel Kobe tomorrow, Wednesday.
A state of anger prevailed in Hong Kong after the company organizing the match between the Hong Kong Stars League and Inter Miami of the American Football League signed a contract with the government for the Argentine star Lionel Messi to play at least 45 minutes during his team’s tour of the Asian country in preparation for the new season, but the international star was absent due to… injury.
The Argentine legend remained sitting on the bench throughout the last friendly match, which ended with his team defeating a team of league stars in Hong Kong 4-1 on Sunday, as he suffers from a muscle tear in his thigh.
Messi’s absence angered 38,323 spectators, each of whom paid more than 125 US dollars to see their hero, and demanded a refund of their money at the Hong Kong Stadium. Englishman David Beckham, one of the club’s owners, was also booed after the match ended when he tried to thank the fans.
The captain of the Argentine national team, which won the World Cup in late 2022 in Qatar, played only a few minutes in the last friendly match against Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, which ended with his team losing 0-6, and he is now racing against time to be ready for the start of the new season, which begins on February 21 of this month.
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