The captain of Argentina was recovering from a hamstring ιnjᴜry, which led to him being on the bench for an exhibition match against a select Hong Kong XI earlier this month. However, when Messi later played in the second half of Inter Miami’s friendly against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, it sparked dissatisfaction among Hong Kong fans. In an unеᶍρected development, Chinese football enthusiasts have voiced their displeasure on social media platforms, with some going as far as expressing support for Britain’s control over the Falkland Islands.

Messi has incurred displeasure from Chinese authorities, resulting in the cancellation of Argentina’s scheduled friendlies against Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Beijing for March, as per the decision of the Beijing Football Association. Responding to a post by the Argentinian Embassy on Weibo, China’s counterpart to Twitter, users strongly expressed their endorsement of British sovereignty over the Falklands.

One user wrote: “The Falkland Islands are an integral and inseparable part of the United Kingdom.”

Another user renounced their allegiance to Argentina’s sovereignty claim: “I used to support the Argentinian claim to the Malvinas. Today, I solemnly declare that from now on, I will no longer accept that the Malvinas Islands belong to Argentina.”