Watch: Football Icon Lionel Messi’s Training Session Draws Thousands as He Visits Hong Kong
The night before the Major League Soccer (MLS) team and the Hong Kong national team played a friendly, fans headed to Hong Kong Stadium to watch Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi train with the Inter Miami teammates. Hours before the open training session began, police blocked off the area surrounding the 40,000-seat stadium as supporters stood in line and sang the name of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. David Beckham, the co-owner of Inter Miami and a former England captain, was also given a raucous welcome.
Beckham was spotted providing some important knowledge to the children, but when Messi walked onto the field for a quick warm-up, everyone almost lost their minds.
Messi was benched on Sunday, but he did not play in Inter Miami’s 4-1 demolition of Hong Kong.
In Messi’s absence, Ryan Sailor, Leonardo Campana, Lawson Sunderland, and Robert Taylor scored for Inter Miami.
While Messi and Luis Suarez observed from the sidelines, players like Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets made an appearance from the bench.
A few nights ago, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr defeated Inter Miami 6-0, with Messi making an appearance off the bench.
Due to an injury, Ronaldo was not even included in the team.
Last week, Ronaldo’s calf injury forced Al Nassr to postpone their two-game China tour, depriving him of what may have been his final encounter with longtime rival Messi.
Together, the two have won 13 Ballon d’Or honors; last year, Messi won the trophy for an unprecedented eighth time. The last time they faced each other was in January 2023, when Messi’s PSG defeated Ronaldo’s Saudi select team 5–4.
Instead, when the Saudi Pro League team destroyed their Major League Soccer opponents, Talisca, a Brazilian, stole the show with a hat-trick. The Saudi team scored three goals in the first twelve minutes.
After Talisca finished his treble and gave Ronaldo his trademark celebration, Messi, whose team was behind by six goals, trotted on for the final seven minutes.
As they continue to get ready for the next Major League Soccer (MLS) season, which begins on February 27, Inter Miami will now play Japanese team Vissel Kobe on February 7.
