Everything Lionel Messi does is news
.
The figure of the best footballer in history is magnetic even for the least football fans.
This was evident in
Hong Kong
, the second stop on the tour of Asia that he faces with his team
Inter Miami
.
This Saturday, La Pulga had a
canonical event because he modified the profile photo of his Instagram account
, just before training in a
stadium full of fans
, in which he even agreed to share the famous 'crazy' game with a group of children .
Early in the day in Argentina, many were surprised to enter Messi's profile, where he has 498 million followers, and see that
the photo with his eighth Ballon d'Or was no longer there
.
He had chosen that image
last November
, when after two years he modified his profile and left behind the tender family photo in Barcelona with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and his children Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
Lionel Messi changed his profile photo on his Instagram account for the second time in four months.
Messi chose, perhaps, his most iconic photo: it is one at the Lusail stadium, with the World Cup in his hands while he is carried on a litter across the playing field in the midst of the Argentine National Team's celebration of its third star.
A while later, Lionel Messi led the Inter Miami squad that had its first practice in those lands where it will play its fourth preseason friendly (three losses and one draw).
The particularity was that tickets were sold out in record time for this open-door training and the image of the Hong Kong stadium was impressive.
The Hong Kong stadium is packed during Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's open training session.
Beyond 'Messimanía' there is also another explanation.
The semi-autonomous city has become the
epicenter of football fervor
, leaving behind numerous obstacles that prevented authorities from organizing large events due to delays in its
post-pandemic reopening
.
In fact, Sunday's match is part of more than
80 major events that will be held in the first half
of the year to boost the Hong Kong economy.
The friendly is surrounded by great expectations in the region, which has been long dressed from the façade of the M+ museum, which projects a giant image of Messi over Victoria Harbour, to the iconic traditional boats that, in a tribute to the star, They raise the image in their sails.
Passion for the Fort Lauderdale outfit has skyrocketed, as has the sale of promotional items, such as t-shirts, which have flown off the shelves, or police crowd control measures, which include road closures and warnings against the hysteria of the fans.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the team hotel on Friday hoping to see and touch their heroes after they landed aboard a private jet from Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Messi, the figures of Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also monopolize the flashes.
On Saturday during training, Messi agreed to play a 'loco' - that typical round passing game while a teammate tries to recover it - with a group of children who couldn't believe what was happening around them.
There was also space for the 'intruders', who dared to run between the security personnel:
one of them arrived just right at Messi, who signed his right arm while he bowed to him
.
بطل العالم يُوقع لأحد المعجبين الذين اقتحموا الملعب 🔟🇭🇰 pic.twitter.com/XSSIZfrDrW
— Messi Xtra (@M30Xtra) February 3, 2024
Does Messi play?
Inter Miami will face a team from the Hong Kong First Division this Sunday, starting at 4:50 (Argentine time).
Without a doubt, Messi's presence has been the main reason for expecting a packed stadium, with fans eager to see the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in action.
However, concerns are being raised about the Argentine's participation, due to possible contractual restrictions.
According to a Hong Kong government source told the South China Morning Post, there are
specific clauses in his contract
that stipulate his intervention, unless he suffers an illness or injury that prevents him from doing so.
"We have the expectation that Leo will play as long as possible," said his coach Gerardo Martino in relation to the match, for which 40,000 spectators have paid between
103 and 573 euros
.
Despite the defeats suffered in preseason friendlies, their fans continue to show their support and confidence, coming out en masse on Saturday afternoon to applaud the team's performance in an open practice day at the Hong Kong stadium.
Photo: Peter PARKS / AFP
Las Garzas have embarked on an intense international tour that will take them to travel more than 38,500 kilometers in less than a month.
After starting their preseason with a trip to El Salvador, the team moved to Texas to face Dallas FC and later traveled to Saudi Arabia to face Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
In the four preparation matches played this year, the American club, owned among others by the British David Beckham,
has conceded a total of 11 goals
, exposing a vulnerable defense.
Photo: Peter PARKS / AFP
The most overwhelming defeat occurred in the last match, last Thursday, where they were beaten by a resounding 6-0 against Al Nassr, without the presence of
Cristiano Ronaldo
in the squad, due to an injury, for which a game was suspended. week before the friendly matches of the Saudi team in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
The big question at this point is whether the coach of the pink team 'Tata' Martino will use Messi in the Sunday match or if he will rest him again to avoid a muscle injury, as happened last Thursday, when he was barely on the field for last 13 minutes.