Lionel Messi recently traveled to Beijing, China, to complete his international duties with Argentina. However, the player faced a slight hiccup in his plans as he was detained at the Beijing airport.
The Argentina national team is scheduled to face Australia in a friendly match at the Workers Stadium in Beijing on Thursday. The World Cup-winning team would be hoping to continue their winning form and impress the fans in China.
Lionel Messi took a private jet to Beijing to join his teammates for training. However, the player was detained by airport officials. A video has emerged of the player being surrounded by airport officials while holding his passport.
According to media reports, the player was detained at the airport for around two hours because of an issue with his passport. According to reports, Messi carried his Spanish passport instead of his Argentine passport to China. This caused a problem for the player as the Spanish passport did not have a valid Chinese visa.
Earlier today at the Beijing airport, Leo Messi faced some issues with his passport. pic.twitter.com/rLNwI3W4nJ
— Leo Messi 🔟 Fan Club (@WeAreMessi) June 10, 2023
The Spanish passport does not have visa-free entry to China, however, they can enter Taiwan without having to issue a visa. Messi reportedly thought that Taiwan was a part of China and thus, did not apply for a visa. Furthermore, the language barrier between the player and the officials was also an issue.
Eventually, the matter was resolved as the officials issued the soccer player an expedited visa at the Beijing airport. Thus, the player was able to leave the airport and meet with his teammates.
Beijing police warn the fans about the Lionel Messi scam on Weibo
Lionel Messi and his teammates were temporarily trapped at the hotel they are residing at. This happened because of the huge crowd of Chinese fans that gathered in front of the hotel to get a glimpse of the World Cup winner.
“Messi” became a trending topic on the Chinese social media platform Weibo upon the player’s arrival. Some fans even spent 10,000 yuan ($1,400) on the luxurious hotel room in hopes of getting a glimpse of the soccer star, according to reports.
Argentina players can’t go outside of the hotel in Beijing or walk around due to amount of people waiting for them. Everyone wants to see Messi. No other person in the World is loved like Messi, not even the Pope!
pic.twitter.com/V0NpKUW6Qx— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) June 12, 2023
Meanwhile, the Beijing police issued a warning to fans to beware of the scams after an ad went viral on Weibo. The ad claimed to offer dinner with Lionel Messi for $42,000 per person.
The police bureau debunked the rumor on their official Weibo account. Furthermore, they jokingly stated, “If you can be scammed of 300,000 yuan ($42,000), then our police will raise a glass to you.”
Several unofficial Weibo accounts even claimed to have VIP front-row seats for the match. They also sold the player’s autographs at an inflated price.
Second training in Beijing. Happy Messi.💪🇦🇷🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/UBZzowRVHA
— FCB Albiceleste (@FCBAlbiceleste) June 12, 2023
The Argentina national team will be traveling to Jakarta next. They will be facing Indonesia in a friendly international match. However, it is still unclear if Messi will be a part of the squad or not.