The captain, who led the FIFA World Cup-winning team, remained on the bench due to a hamstring strain during the 4-1 friendly victory against a Hong Kong select XI. The sizable crowd of 38,323, many of whom had paid over 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($125) to witness their hero, expressed frustration with chants of “We want Messi” echoing throughout Hong Kong Stadium midway through the second half. As the match progressed, discontent grew, particularly in the last 10 minutes, when it became apparent that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner would not make an appearance. The booing intensified at the final whistle, drowning out Miami co-owner Beckham’s attempt to express gratitude to the fans, who responded with thumbs-down gestures.
“I’m just really disappointed,” said fan Jonathan Wong to AFP. “Everyone is here to see Messi, so I feel a bit cheated. “Without him it’s just like another regular Hong Kong Premier League match, where a ticket only costs HK$80 ($11). This time we paid HK$5,000 ($625).”
Miami coach Gerardo Martino explained that the decision to keep Messi sidelined was made by the club’s medical team after an evaluation on Sunday morning. “We understand the disappointment of the fans for the absence of Leo (Messi),” Martino told reporters. “We wish we could have sent Leo on for at least a while but the risk was too big.”
Messi, 36, had only played for six minutes in Miami’s previous match in Saudi Arabia and now faces a race against time to recover for the upcoming MLS season starting on February 21.
The disappointment marked the end of days filled with “Messi mania” in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands showed up just to watch him train, and Messi shirts flew off the shelves after tickets for the match sold out within an hour of their release in December.
Reflecting the fans’ dissatisfaction, the Hong Kong government threatened to withdraw its HK$16 million ($2 million) funding to the organizers who facilitated Inter Miami’s visit to the city. “The Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed,” it said in a statement. “The organizers owe all football fans an explanation.”
Miami’s starting lineup notably lacked other former Barcelona stars such as Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, or Luis Suarez. Despite this, Miami secured their first victory in five matches on their global pre-season tour, which continues with a friendly against Vissel Kobe in Japan on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
ArgentinaThis season he played in total 6 times for 372 minutes for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi scored 1 goal for Inter Miami. He procured two assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 14th in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami lost 6-0 against Al Nassr.
Inter Miami performance and stats
Inter Miami
It will be Inter Miami ended the league in the 14th position with 34 points.
In the last 34 games, it has won 9 times, drawn 7 times, and lost 18 times. In its last match, Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Charlotte.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 41 goals and conceding 54.
