Lionel Messi, the star of Inter Miami, published a video this Monday, February 19, on the Chinese social network Weibo.
He returns to the controversies which followed his absence during a friendly match in Hong Kong.
Sitting on the bench, he provoked the anger of the fans who had sometimes paid more than 570 euros to see the former Parisian walk the pitch.
But he hadn't played a single minute.
The world champion was keen to put to rest conspiracy theories that have circulated on Chinese social media suggesting he did not play in the archipelago to humiliate Hong Kong.
“I read and heard a lot of things that were said after the match in Hong Kong.
I wanted to record this video and give you the real version so that no one has to continue reading false stories,” he told Internet users in the Middle Kingdom.
“I had inflammation of the adductors”
“If that had been the case, I would not even have traveled to Japan or visited China, as I have done on numerous occasions,” assures the eight-time Golden Ball winner.
Since the beginning of my career, I have had a very close and special relationship with China,” he continues.
The number 10 claims that his absence from the pitch was due to an injury which sidelined him from this meeting, organized as part of a world tour.
Tired by the more than 48,000 kilometers traveled by his team across three continents, the Albiceleste captain was keen to clarify: “As I said at a press conference, I had inflammation in my adductors and I didn't "I couldn't play in the first match in Saudi Arabia, and that's when I felt it."
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His absence caused an uproar in China which gave up hosting two friendly matches against Argentina.
To defuse this controversy which has become a state affair, La Pulga returned in detail to the reasons which pushed him to remain on the sidelines.
“In the second game I tried to play a little, but it got worse.
The day before the match (in Hong Kong), I tried to train and I gave an effort for everyone who came to watch the training,” he concluded.
In June 2023, the Argentine star had already angered Indonesian supporters after a package during a friendly between Indonesia and Argentina.