Messi reopens football in China after COVID-19 restrictions

First modification: 06/10/2023 – 12:14

This Saturday the Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi landed in Beijing, where he was received as a celebrity by his Chinese fans.

“Messi! Messi!” Shouted hundreds of fans who were waiting for him at the airport, wearing Argentina’s albiceleste striped shirt with Rosario’s number 10, according to viral images published on social networks.

Local media report that this is Messi’s 7th trip to China. The last one dates back to 2017.

The Argentina-Australia match will mark the great return of international soccer to China after three years of sanitary restrictions due to Covid that emptied stadiums and caused an avalanche of cancellations of sports competitions.

And although it was advertised as a friendly, this match is a rematch of the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar 2022, where Argentina eliminated the oceanic team 2-1. It will also be the first game played by Messi after leaving Paris SG and announcing that he will continue his career at Inter Miami.

The team led by Lionel Scaloni will play another friendly match against Indonesia in Jakarta on June 19 as part of this Asian tour.

with AFP