On February 4, Messi’s absence from the match between Inter Miami and the Hong Kong XI team sparked significant backlash.
Many on Weibo questioned how the star was able to make such a quick recovery three days after the Hong Kong game.
Others lashed out against what they saw as disrespect for Hong Kong – and China.
In Monday’s video, Messi denied that his absence was due to political reasons and reiterated that he was unable to make the game because of an inflamed adductor that had worsened the day before the game in Hong Kong.
“I’ve had a very close and special relationship with China and I’ve done a lot of things in China,” Messi said in the video.
Persons:
Lionel Messi, Messi, Weibo, “ I’ve, ” Messi, “, Hong Kong, XFEST, CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Chris Lau
Organizations:
CNN, Inter Miami, Hong Kong XI, Argentina’s, Vissel, Weibo
Locations:
Hong Kong, Weibo, Vissel Kobe, Tokyo, China, China’s Sichuan, Beijing