Lionel Messi, the “God of Soccer,” was detained at a Chinese airport for about two hours.
‘There was chaos as Messi was detained at the Beijing airport,’ British media outlet The Express reported on Wednesday (KST). A video of Messi talking to authorities has been circulating on social media,” the Express reported. Messi was stopped because he was carrying a Spanish passport, not an Argentine one.
According to the Express, Messi was on his way to join the Argentine national team on a private plane. Argentina will play Australia in a friendly on Sept. 15 at 9 p.m. in Beijing, China.
The Express used Chinese media to report that Messi used a Spanish passport, not an Argentine passport. Messi had previously traveled to Taiwan on a Spanish passport. Because of this, he mistakenly thought he could enter China with a Spanish passport.
“Isn’t Taiwan part of China?” Messi said, according to Express. “She waited for two hours for the visa to be issued,” the Express said. Eventually, he was able to get through.
Messi was accompanied by teammate and best friend Angel Di Maria.
“While waiting, Messi and Di Maria naturally attracted the attention of the locals. They posed for photos with fans. Messi did not appear to be too stressed by the incident.
Messi is out of contract with PSG at the end of the 2022-2023 season.
Messi opted to play in the American MLS amid rumors of a move. His hometown club FC Barcelona offered him a return, and the Saudi Arabian professional league lured him with an astronomical salary.먹튀검증
“I really wanted to come back to Barcelona, I had that dream,” says Messi. But after what happened two years ago, I didn’t want to put my future in someone else’s hands again. I wanted to make my own decisions and that’s why my return to Barcelona didn’t happen. I wanted to, but I couldn’t,” he continued.
In the U.S., he hoped he could be more true to himself and his family.
“Now I want to get out of the spotlight a little bit and think more about my family. The last two years have been so unhappy. We had a really great month with the World Cup win, but apart from that, it was a tough time for me. I want to rediscover joy and enjoy my family, my kids, and my daily life.”