Everything happened to them, Messi and Inter Miami live an ordeal in Hong Kong

Thousands of Hong Kong soccer fans were disappointed when Argentine superstar Lionel Messi did not take the field in an Inter Miami friendly match on Sunday. What began with overwhelming applause and enthusiasm ended with boos and requests for refunds at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong stadium.

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Inter Miami, who wanted to prove their worth after not having won on their pre-season world tour, comfortably beat an eleven from Hong Kong 4-1 in a match dubbed Tatler XFEST Hong Kong. But even in the run-up and during the match, the fans had the feeling that the result did not matter to them; The most important thing was to see Messi, world champion and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, on the pitch.

Even the Hong Kong government shared its dismay at the 36-year-old's absence from the match. "Messi was not able to play in the friendly match today, and the Government and the fans are equally disappointed by the provisions adopted by the organizer of the event," he declared in a statement this Sunday. "The organizer of the event owes an explanation to the fans."

Luis Suárez, another of the team's brand new signings, also did not play despite attending the pre-match press conference, while other notable players such as Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets only entered the second half. "Messimanía" had taken over the city with the arrival of the team on Friday, while fans crowded into the hotel where the Miamians were staying. Meanwhile, the stadium had already reached maximum capacity during the team's open training session the day before.

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The end of the Tour

Ardent support for Messi also swept mainland China last summer after the Argentina team played a friendly match against Australia in Beijing. It was the superstar's seventh time in China, and the eighth could come in March as Argentina confirmed two friendly matches against Nigeria and Ivory Coast in Hangzhou and Beijing. Inter Miami now travels to Japan to play a friendly against Vissel Kobe this Wednesday.