Credit: Twitter
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi faced an awkward situation at Beijing Airport when he was stopped by Chinese officials over a passport problem. Messi arrived in China to join the rest of the Argentina squad for their friendly matches against Australia and Indonesia.
Messi used his Spanish passport and was not carrying his Argentine passport, unaware that he needed a visa to enter China. He thought that Taiwan was a part of China and he could enter visa-free as Spanish citizens can do in Taiwan. There was also a language barrier which made the situation more difficult and caused further delays.
The confusion caused a delay of about 30 minutes as Messi had to wait for an entry visa to be issued and was surrounded by airport staff and security guards while he held his passport.
Watch the video here:
Messi eventually got his visa and was able to leave the airport and join his national team at their training camp. As he walked out of the airport, he was joined by a big crowd of fans who chanted his name and were eager to see him. Wherever the 2022 World Cup winner goes a large crowd is always there to greet him.
Watch the video here:
Messi will be in action when Argentina face Australia on Thursday, June 15, at the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing, and then Indonesia on Monday, June 19, at the Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta. After the friendlies, Messi will get a period of rest before joining his new club Inter Miami in July.
