Lionel Messi insists Hong Kong performance was due to injury, not politics football news

Argentine football star Lionel Messi insisted on Monday that his absence from a match in Hong Kong two weeks ago, which caused angry spectators, was not an insult but due to injury. In a video posted on China’s Weibo social media platform, Messi rejected suggestions that his no-show was “for political reasons” and said that if that were the case, “I wouldn’t travel to Hong Kong”. “As everyone knows, I always want to play and be involved in every game,” he said.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner sat on the bench during Inter Miami’s 4–1 win against the Hong Kong Select XI on 4 February.

His no-show was criticized and demanded a refund by thousands of fans who had spent huge sums to watch the World Cup-winning captain play in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory of Hong Kong.

Widely considered the best player of his generation, Messi is a highly marketable player who people around the world will pay top dollar to watch, even in the final stages of his trophy-laden career.

Some nationalist politicians and outlets interpreted Messi’s absence – and his subsequent presence at a similar match in Japan – as an affront to China, without offering evidence.

After this, China’s sports chiefs canceled two friendly matches involving world champion Argentina.

In his video, Messi spoke of a “very good and very close” relationship with China, a country with which he said he had done “a lot of things”, including matches and events.

The star striker said the reason for his absence was due to injury, specifically “inflammation of the adductor muscle”.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)