Messi arrived in Hong Kong with Inter Miami to change the image of a tour with many kilometers and no joy

Still looking for his first win of the year, the InterMiami From Lionel Messi arrived early in the morning Hong Kongfrom Saudi Arabia, to continue with the preseason and play a new friendly that will allow him to reverse the disturbing moment he is going through.

After suffering a humiliating 6-0 defeat against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr (who did not play due to injury), those of Florida once again left doubts on the pitch in the debut of the MLS, next February 21st. That’s why this Sunday they will make a new stage in which they will face a team of professional players Hong Kong.

Las Garzas, after also losing 4-3 against Al Hilal on their tour of Arabia, landed at dawn in Hong Kong, Argentina. There they were received by airport staff, who presented the coach with a bouquet of flowers. Gerardo Tata Martinowith which he had to pose on a stage with the rest of the team for a group photo.

The party aspires to have a packed stadium as a context, especially thanks to the presence of Messi and the fans, enthusiastic to see the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner again in the former British colony.

Tickets went on sale in December and fans have been paying in the meantime 880 and 4,880 Hong Kong dollars (between 103 and 573 euros) to get any of the 40,000 tickets available.

Taking into account the furore generated by the star’s arrival, the local police planned a important security operation to maintain order near the hotel, with major road closures around the stadium.

The madness that Leo has caused in Hong Kong is such that along the immensity of the rivers that cross the region, several residents have the opportunity to see ships that have a blow-up of Messi’s face printed on their sails. Incredible but real.

Large screens were also projected in the areas near the coast, so that the Argentinian’s face could be seen even when the natural light of the sun sets.

The possible alarms that rang out in Hong Kong when Leo came off the bench in the last match due to a minor discomfort had a big impact on his fans. However, given the possibility that the Rosario player may not be able to play, a Hong Kong government source said that there are”contractual conditions which specify that you will participate except for illness or injury“.

From the excitement that is generated around ’10’, the only training session that Inter Miami will carry out in Hong Kong will be this Saturday, with doors open to the public. It, with tickets priced between 68 and 130 euros, has already sold out.

Tata Martino’s concern for the results

Without a doubt, the results obtained from the beginning of 2024 are not those expected by those led by Tata Martino. Even more so when they managed to incorporate none other than the Uruguayan Luis Suárez as a reinforcement star for 2024.

However, just as the results did not accompany them, neither did luck. The thing is, Las Garzas ended up suffering two key players due to injury in the middle of the set. Regard Facundo Farías AND Beniamino Cresmaschiboth Argentinians who suffered the injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of the left leg is one sports herniarespectively.

Under this panorama Martino tries to recover from the defeat”totally disappointing” before Al Nassr can arrive with greater confidence in his MLS debut. “If we have to find a moment for these things to happen and that signal a major alarm about what is happening, we prefer it to be before the start of the season“, said the coach after the team’s arrival in Hong Kong.

And he added: “We failed to win in four games this preseason, we must get out of this dynamic of defeat and obviously it would be a priority to win the match.”

He was also consulted on Messi’s physical condition, with the aim of giving peace of mind to all the people of Hong Kong. “We will evaluate each of the players because we have played a lot of preseason games. The aspiration is that Leo can play as many minutes as possible,” Tata said. “He will definitely be on the pitch“He added.

After Sunday’s match, Inter Miami will fly to Tokyo to face the Vissel Kobe in his last match in the Middle East. Then it will be the turn of a special friendly match for Leo, which will see him as the protagonist Newell’s next February 15th in Florida. It will be the step before the points games begin to be played in the American championship and the Florida team receives Real Salt Lake on their debut.