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Lionel Messi was detained in China after he was reported to have used the wrong passport to gain entry.
The ex-Barcelona star only recently announced that he was joining David Beckham’s MLS side Inter Miami, ending speculations about his future.
Prior to the announcement, Lionel Messi was rumoured to have ‘agreed’ to rejoin his boyhood club Barcelona, but the deal did not see the light of day.
Saudi Arabi side Al-Hilal also reportedly had a private jet on standby to fly the World Cup winner to sign a lucrative deal with the oil-rich nation.
In the end, Messi chose to move to the USA, signing for bottom-of-the-log Inter Miami.
However, in a twist of events, Lionel Messi was detained for hours in Beijing China, for entering the country with the wrong passport.
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22:30 - 12.06.2023
Lionel Messi: Argentine star detained for hours at Beijing airport for using wrong passport
Lionel Messi was delayed at the Beijing airport after he was alleged to have used a wrong passport on his arrival in China. Argentina are set to take on Australia in a friendly in Taiwan during the international break.
Pulse Sports highlights 7 key facts you need to know about Messi’s detention in China.
1. International Friendly
The Argentine national team fresh from winning the world cup in Qatar would be playing an international friendly with the Socceroos of Australia.
The friendly match is billed to take place on Thursday, June 15 at the Workers Stadium in Beijing China.
Last time both sides met was at the quarter-finals of the World Cup where the Albicelestes survived a late flurry of attacks from the Socceroos after Messi and Alvarez had put them in front.
Lionel Messi using his private jet flew into China ahead of the friendly tie but was detained on arrival.
2. Passport misunderstanding
The former PSG forward was stopped by border Police in China after it was discovered that he presented the wrong passport.
A misunderstanding ensued because Lionel Messi mistakenly travelled to China with a Spanish passport rather than an Argentinian one.
As reported by the DailyMail, the border Police at the Chinese capital were not happy that Lionel Messi flew into their country with his Spanish passport.
However, it was gathered that Lionel Messi used his Spanish passport because he thought that Taiwan was a part of China.
Report from the DailyMail suggests that he was heard asking the border patrol officers: “Is Taiwan not China.”
3. Messi was detained for hours
The seven-times Ballon d’Or winner was detained for two hours by the border patrol officers but later released.
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22:34 - 12.06.2023
Explained: How Messi's salary at Inter Miami compares to Ronaldo's Al-Nassr package
Lionel Messi recently completed his move to Inter Miami in the USA after rejecting several offers from Europe and a mega deal from Saudi Arabia but how big is his salary compared to that of his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo?
Messi was released after he revealed that he did not have his Argentinian passport with him.
However, Lionel Messi was later granted a visa so he could resolve his passport issues and leave the airport to join his training camp.
4. Did Messi Travel alone?
Although Lionel Messi had flown into Beijing with his private jet, the Argentine magician was not alone.
He had former Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria with him because they were headed to play an international friendly.
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Others who accompanied the Argentine national team captain include his bodyguards and some of his friends.
5. Another 'trouble' for Messi
Messi’s troubles were not over after leaving the airport. Some of his fans gathered outside the hotel where the Inter Miami new addition was camped.
The DailyMail revealed that one staunch Messi supporter spent a whopping 10,000 yuan (N663,460.14) to book a room in the hotel so he could see his favourite player.
Due to the multitudes of fans trying to welcome Messi, the Argentine national team had their training session delayed.
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Players had to take safety precautions and remain in their hotel rooms. However, they were able to train later on.
6. It was Messi’s 7th Visit to China
The Sun reported that Lionel Messi had previously visited China on six occasions before this particular one that was surrounded by “controversy.”
The last time Messi graced China was in 2008, when he represented his country at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
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15:30 - 29.05.2023
7 achievements that show Lionel Messi is superior to Cristiano Ronaldo
Argentine magician Lionel Messi is one of the greatest football players the game has seen.
The former Barcelona ace led Argentina to defeat the Dream Team of Nigeria in the final by a slim margin courtesy of a goal by Angel Di Maria.
In winning Gold at the competition, Argentina set a record of 12 straight wins at the Olympic games, having won all six matches in the previous edition without suffering defeat.
7. Social Media reactions
As expected, the news about Messi's detention soon turned into a 'media war' with fans of Ronaldo and the Argentine sensation trading tackles online.
Pulse Sports gathered some comments and reactions from our Facebook page. See them below;
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