Argentine football colossus Lionel Messi receives a massive welcome from Chinese fans ahead of a friendly match against Australia at the newly renovated 68, 000-seat Workers’ Stadium in Beijing on Thursday, June 15.
The Argentina men’s national team will go head-to-head in a friendly match against the Socceroos of Australia for the fourth time in football history. This will be the ninth time both teams have played each other. Australia defeated Argentina for the first time in an intercontinental playoff for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where the second leg ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Argentines after a draw in the first leg.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has been in worldwide conversation over his move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami in the American Major League Soccer as a free agent.
In a post on the International Football Invitation’s official Weibo social media site, his arrival was announced In a video where the players were descending the airstair. Fans crowded the airport with his number 10 jerseys to show their love for him.
This happens to be Messi’s seventh visit to the Asian country since 2017. There was a massive crowd that thronged his hotel, chanting “Messi!” “Messi !!”. The crowd could be numbered in the thousands, with their mobile phones capturing the historic moment for the Chinese nationals.
The fans have given the legend and his team an overwhelming reception, as their friendly match at the newly built Workers’ Stadium in Beijing will be the first international game played in China since the wake of COVID 19.
Both teams met in the 2022 Qatar World Cup in the Round of 16, where Australia was eliminated in extra time courtesy of Messi’s brace. Argentina will take on Indonesia in Jakarta on June 19 on their Asian tour.
Argentina takes on Indonesia in Jakarta on June 19 as part of this Asian tour.