Tireless followers, scams that ensure an unforgettable night with the idol and even an immigration incident marked the presence of Lionel Messi in Chinawhere the player arrived on June 10 in the middle of a ‘Messimania’ where the city was dyed white and light blue.
What could have been a joyous event for Chinese fans, without high-flying soccer after years of severe pandemic restrictions, turned into a display of what many on the country’s social media called ” illegitimate supporters” of Argentinaand of Messi in particular.
In the four days before the match against the Albiceleste Australia within Workers Stadium from the capital of China streets had to be blocked off, events canceled and scams reported, although others point out that “Messi He came to play an international match, not to meet the supporters.”
landing on the wrong foot
The journey of the captain of the world champion did not start in the best way, because, after landing beijinghave to wait more than two hours at customs to enter the Asian country.
The reason, according to various local media, is that Messi brought to China his Spanish passport and not the Argentine one, which is the document on which his entry visa was issued.
Once the disaster was resolved, the star from Rosario was forced to enter the hotel where the team was focused on the back door when the building was completely surrounded by fans blocking the main entrance.
Such was the impetus of the Chinese followers that the organization canceled for security reasons a face-to-face event with Messialthough fans did get a chance to get up close Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez.
streaming war
Despite the cancellation of events in person, the main sales platforms rushed to announce the various broadcasts with the seven-time Ballon d’Or.
The Kuaishou short video application announced an exclusive interview conducted by sports media outlet Titan Sports and its first offering was ten seconds of Messi in a 52-minute gathering where only two Chinese presenters spoke and received more at five million views. live views.
The electronic giant Alibaba, through its online sales platform Taobao, brought together the Albiceleste captain on Wednesday with a famous ‘streamer’, Li Xuanzhuo, an expert in the sale of wines, who described the intense struggle to dominate China’s e-commerce sector usurping Messi’s claim.
The power of money
If this trip has shown anything, it’s the importance of the Argentine number 10 to football fans and those who don’t.
One supporter booked rooms at the same hotel where the team was staying – lodgings that quintupled their reservations on the night of the game – and some youths waited for three hours hiding in crouching inside the Olympic Stadium bathroom with the hope that they can. meet his idol in the training session.
The less friendly face is the proliferation of scams: the Beijing police denounced that on Weibo -like Twitter, which is censored in China- a dinner with the Argentine captain was offered in exchange for 300,000 yuan (41,875 dollars, 38,804 euros), in addition to the fake ticket everywhere.
“Everything is for money”, asserted some young Messi admirers at an official merchandise store in Argentina, where their star sale, a goat with an albiceleste shirt, was sold (GOAT means, in English, the initials of “the best of all time”).
“I came from Shanghai (east) hoping to see Messi, but the ticket price stopped me. I have to live to see him on TV today at Inter Miami,” said a young woman surrounded by dolls from 10 of his work. celebration against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup.
Diego Trenado, an Argentine soccer coach based in Beijing, told EFE that “the Chinese fan wants to show his love for Messi for everything he has done on the field and off it,” although he admitted that “the passion shown in the streets” by the fans of the Asian giant “surprised the Argentines a lot”.
“Since the arrival of the national team, all my players have been asking me about it. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game, and I’m sure they expect to share my experience with them in the next training session,” said Trenado .
So far, the only one lucky enough to have a snapshot of the captain is a Chinese driver whose selfie of Messi on a bus while waiting inside his car at a traffic light has gone viral on social networks and sparked the envy of fans.Rosario fans.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
