Football great Lionel Messi recently found himself in trouble at Beijing Airport after issues were raised against his passport. He was detained by Chinese police. It came to light that he reportedly didn’t apply for a visa.
Lionel Messi was detained
It has been noted that Lionel Messi possesses both Argentine and Spanish passports, and he took the latter to China. Spanish passports don’t have visa-free entry to China, but they can enter Taiwan without a visa. The Argentine reportedly thought that Taiwan was a part of China and thereby didn’t apply for a visa.
Argentina are scheduled to face Australia in an international friendly at the Workers Stadium in Beijing, on Thursday. It has been also noted that language was an issue between Messi and the Chinese airport guards, but it got resolved soon. He received an expedited visa and will be able to play in the friendly.
Messi recently departed PSG as a free agent and has joined Inter Miami. Messi had a more lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal while a return to Barcelona became an impossibility because of Financial Fair Play (FFP) limitations. The Spanish club were unable to keep Lionel Messi in 2021 which led to a turmoil and he left the Nou Camp, eventually signing for PSG.
Paris St-Germain won Ligue 1 in both his seasons at the club but went out in the Champions League last 16, which means his time in France was not seen as a huge success. He scored 32 goals in 75 games for the club – and ended this season with 16 goals and 16 assists in Ligue 1.
