Lionel Messi and his team, Inter Miami, arrived in Hong Kong this Friday from Saudi Arabia to play a friendly match on Sunday against a team made up of players from the city.
The private plane carrying the Argentine star and his teammates – among them Uruguayan Luis Suárez and Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets – landed at 2:30 pm local time (06:30 GMT) in Chek Lap airport. Why?
The co-owner of the American club, David Beckham, preceded the team to attend a commercial event behind closed doors in the financial center, local media reported.
Miami will face off on Sunday in an exhibition match with a team made up of the territory’s first division players at the iconic Hong Kong stadium, with the Argentine star the main attraction for local fans.
The announcement that the winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or for the best player on the planet has arrived in the former British colony has unleashed euphoria among fans of the beautiful game.
In a concerted effort to manage the influx of fans and maintain order, local police announced Thursday that there will be major road closures around the stadium throughout the weekend.
When tickets went on sale in December, fans rushed to shell out huge sums, paying between 880 and 4,880 Hong Kong dollars (between 103 and 573 euros) to get any of the 40,000 available.
However, despite initial good expectations, this week the resale price of tickets for the meeting fell due to low demand.
Inter Miami will hold an open training session on Saturday, also at the Hong Kong stadium, and tickets, which can be purchased at a price between 580 and 780 Hong Kong dollars (between 68 and 103 euros), are will run out.
In addition, the club will organize two football workshops for children aged 9 to 14 and for charities.
Amid rumors that Messi will be unable to play this weekend, a Hong Kong government source told the South China Morning Post that there are “conditions in the contract that specify he will participate barring illness or injury.” EFE
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.
