The fury over international soccer star Lionel Messi sitting out an exhibition match in Hong Kong due to a hamstring injury this month has turned political, with angry fans taking digs at his home country of Argentina and endorsing Britain’s sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
“The fact that the islands belong to Britain is beyond doubt,” one user posted under a Weibo entry by Argentina’s embassy. “Messi is a thief. All his Ballon d’Or awards were stolen.”
Another angry fan renounced their allegiance to Argentina’s sovereignty.
“Today, I solemnly declare that from now on, I will no longer accept that the Malvinas Islands belong to Argentina,” Goal.com reported them saying.
A third simply wrote, “The Malvinas Islands [Falkland Islands] are part of the UK.”
The Falkland Islands are British territories in the South Atlantic, about 8,000 miles from Britain. Sovereignty over the islands has been hotly contested by Argentina for nearly 200 years, culminating in a brief war in 1982. Most Falkland Islanders were of British descent and have opposed Argentina’s claim, but that hasn’t stopped Argentina from staking a claim.
The Chinese uproar over Messi began after the 36-year-old did not enter the field during a highly promoted Inter Miami match in Hong Kong. The Global Times reported that some mainland China fans traveled 12 hours to Hong Kong to see Messi, only to be met with disappointment, which they claimed was “entirely understandable.”
“The impact of this incident has far exceeded the realm of sports,” the paper wrote.
Messi apologized to his Chinese fans on Weibo, a platform similar to X, shortly before the game, explaining he could not play because of an injury.
“Friends who know me will know that I want to give my best in every game, especially when I come from a long way with my teammates,” Messi wrote, adding that he looked forward “to returning to the mainland as soon as possible to share the joy of football with you.”
While some argued that Messi should have told his fans in person why he wasn’t playing, what really got them going was seeing him play in Tokyo a few days later. Messi came out in the 60th minute of play, thrilling locals but triggering resentment in China, which piled even more hate on Messi, his Inter Miami boss David Beckham, Japan, and Argentina.
The South China Morning Post website posted a video headlined: “Why Hong Kong Hates Messi,” followed by a biting monologue by the paper’s managing editor, Yonden Lhatoo.
“All petulant in pink like some thuggish flamingo,” Lhatoo said of Messi’s pink Inter Miami uniform. He added: “Everyone looking at him might as well have been staring at a ballerina in a tutu.”
The “friendly” matches in Asia were supposed to gin up support for Inter Miami but instead have turned into a public relations nightmare.
Following the wave of anger at arguably the best soccer player on the planet, the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou said in a statement that it would be canceling its friendly match with Argentina due to “well-known reasons,” adding that “the conditions for holding such an event aren’t right.”
Argentina had been expected to play against Nigeria.
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Messi last played in mainland China in June, when he led Argentina against Australia at a packed Beijing stadium.
Public anger over Messi could also mess with his partnerships with Chinese companies, such as the Chi Shui He liquor brand, which has had hundreds of users flood its Weibo comment section demanding it cut ties with the soccer captain.