Lionel Messi has emphasized that an injury prevented him from featuring in a high-profile friendly match for Inter Miami in Hong Kong, where he faced criticism for remaining on the bench. Despite expressing his desire to participate, Messi faced backlash from both supporters and the government of China’s special administrative region for his absence.
Fans, who paid significant sums for tickets, voiced their displeasure by chanting for refunds, while co-owner David Beckham was also jeered during his speech at the game.
“Unfortunately, in football, things can happen in any game, that we may have an injury. It happened to me,” said Messi.
“I couldn’t play in the Hong Kong match, and it was a shame because I always wanted to participate. I wanted to be there, and even more so when it came to these games when we travelled so far and people were so excited to see our matches.“
An independent organizer was reportedly paid £1.5 million to organize the match against a Hong Kong XI, with Messi’s involvement allegedly part of the agreement. Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, stated that he has since recovered from the injury and could feature in the upcoming match against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo.
Messi lamented his inability to play in the Hong Kong match, expressing disappointment at missing out on the opportunity to participate, especially given the enthusiasm of the fans. He remains hopeful for another opportunity to play and is feeling much better compared to a few days ago. While uncertain about his availability for Wednesday’s match, Messi expressed eagerness to play if his training progresses well.
“I hope we can return and we can play another game and I can play, as I do whenever I can. But the truth is that it is a shame that I was not able to participate.
“The truth is that I feel very good compared to a few days ago, and depending on how that (training) goes [I could play on Wednesday]. If I’m honest, I still don’t know if I will be able to play or not, but I feel much better and I really want to be able to play.”
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