Police detained Argentine footballer Lionel Messi right at the airport. The incident took place in China. Media reports say that the unpleasant situation was due to problems with documents. Messi arrived in Beijing for a friendly match against Australia.
Upon arrival, it emerged that he needed a visa to visit China and the footballer did not have one. He holds an Argentine and a Spanish passport, the latter of which he came to the country with. Spanish nationals cannot travel to China without a visa, but can fly to Taiwan. Tribuna writes, Messi decided that Taiwan is part of China and therefore did not apply for a visa in advance. As a result, the footballer was delayed for two hours and then he was given an emergency visa. The match between Argentina and Australia will take place on 15 June.
In early June, it became known that Messi would leave French club Paris Saint-Germain for American Inter Miami. Messi played 57 games for PSG in the French league, scoring 22 goals and providing 30 assists.
Recall that last year the international football federation FIFA named Messi the best player of the year 2022. The awards ceremony was held in Paris in February this year. Kylian Mbappe and Spanish Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema were also among the top three. Messi won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Argentina and was named the tournament’s best player.
