Lionel Messi mesmerized the crowds in China as he played for Argentina against Australia. The Argentine scored his fastest goal ever in 79 seconds but the highlight of the game was a fan. Yes, a young Chinese man ran all the way from the stands to hug his idol, Messi.
The young Chinese man showcased immense athleticism as he ran from the corner of the pitch to hug Messi. The young man also high-fived Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez before being caught by the security guards.
Messi warmly welcomed the intruding fan even though he was surprised initially. The 7-time Ballon d’Or winner opened his arms and hugged the teenager fulfilling his dream. But the 18-year-old might be in for hard times after his stunt as Chinese authorities have decided his punishment.
During #Argentina‘s match against Australia, a passionate Chinese fan wearing a #Messi jersey made an exhilarating dash onto the pitch to embrace #LionelMessi himself.
The Argentine superstar was welcomed with great enthusiasm in #Beijing, China lately.#ARGvAUS #梅西 pic.twitter.com/8VH9K76ouV
— Ifeng News (@IFENG__official) June 15, 2023
The 18-year-old has been reportedly identified as Di. Di was returned to the stands after it was found that he was still under 18 years of age. The Chinese police announced that they had imposed an administrative detention on him.
In addition to this, Di cannot attend any stadium for the next 12 months as a ban was imposed on him. The 18-year-old would have been happy after hugging Messi, but he wouldn’t have expected such consequences after the incident.
Chinese man plans to travel to Miami to meet Lionel Messi
The young man admitted that what he did was wrong and accepted his punishment. He accepted the ban imposed on him but this doesn’t mean that he will miss soccer, instead, he plans to meet Lionel Messi again.
The Argentine recently ended the saga surrounding his transfer after ending his contract with PSG. The 7-time Ballon d’Or winner was rumored to return to Barcelona but he chose a lucrative offer as he joined MLS side, Inter Miami.
🚨🚨 BREAKING: Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, here we go! The decision has been made and it will be announced by Leo in the next hours #InterMiami
🇺🇸 Messi will play in MLS. No more chances for Barcelona/Al Hilal despite trying to make it happen.
𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𝐎#Messi #MLS pic.twitter.com/OTYWIlEzNc
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 7, 2023
Talking to the media after the incident, the young man announced that he had been a Messi fan since childhood. He stated that all he wanted was a picture with Messi and an autograph which is why he did the stunt.
He said: “I apologize for my behavior of rushing into the stadium, but I am a Messi fan. I would like to take a photo with Messi and get Messi’s autograph.”
Di also revealed that even though he hugged Messi, he still couldn’t get his autograph in the stadium. The teenager now plans to travel to Miami to meet his idol and get his autograph legally.
📍Beijing, China
The images speak for themselves! 🇨🇳 ⚽️ 🏃🏻♂️🇦🇷
A young Chinese man jumped onto the field of the “Workers Stadium” in Beijing, during the match between Argentina and Australia, and hugged Messi and shook hands with “Dibu” Martínez#China #Beijing #Messi #Argentina pic.twitter.com/7UBRgWITKU
— Discovering China (@DiscoverChina_) June 15, 2023
Di said: “I hugged Messi this time, but I didn’t get a chance to get an autograph. Next time I want to go to Miami and ask Messi for an autograph. But I won’t rush to the pitch and repeat today’s mistake, it’s a wrong example, say sorry to everyone.”
It’s quite heartwarming to see how the young man accepted his mistake and was willing to correct it. We hope that Di gets the chance to meet his idol soon, as Messi will be featured in the MLS next season.