Messimania has taken over Hong Kong on the eve of the exhibition match between Inter Miami and a prominent Hong Kong team this weekend, which will feature the presence of the Argentine soccer star, considered the best soccer player of his time.
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.
“We hope that the influx of followers from mainland China will impact the restaurant sector, which has suffered a brutal decline and is struggling to recover,” said chef Jim Löfdahl, manager of the prestigious avant-garde Nordic cuisine restaurant Embla.
Lionel Messi training with Inter Miami in Hong Kong
The competition is surrounded by great expectation 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.
Even the stadium where the match will be played, with capacity for 40,000 spectators, was filled this Saturday with fans who came just to see Messi train.
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.
The MLS franchise landed in Hong Kong on Friday to continue its preseason tour, with a squad full of stars, including the Uruguayan Luis Suárez, and the Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Inter Miami will face a Hong Kong first division team, in a friendly that has generated great expectation.
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.
Lionel Messi training with Inter Miami in Hong Kong
What if Messi doesn't play? Organizers' concern
However, concerns are being raised about the Argentine's participation, due to possible contractual restrictions. According to what 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 it.
“We expect Leo to play as long as possible,” said his coach in relation to the match, for which 40,000 spectators paid between 103 and 573 euros.
Despite the defeats suffered in pre-season friendlies, their fans continue to show their support and confidence, coming out en masse on Saturday afternoon to applaud the team's performance at an open day at the Hong Kong stadium.
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, where the Spanish Asier Illarramendi plays, 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.
The most overwhelming defeat occurred in the last match, where they were beaten 6-0 by Al Nassr, without the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, due to an injury, for which the matches were suspended a week before. friendlies 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, also Argentine Gerardo Martino, will use Messi in the Sunday match or if he will rest him again to avoid a muscle injury.
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With Efe
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