Tens of thousands of Chinese supporters were in raptures when Lionel Messi scored against Australia just 90 seconds into the match on a steamy June night in Beijing. On Thursday night, there was a sea of blue and white Argentina jerseys in the Chinese capital, almost all of which bore the name Messi on the back.
Beijing often holds an invitation-only friendly soccer match each summer. This time, the organizers picked a team led by a player who may be the best at drawing attention in China.
People came out in droves to support this illustrious team, but more so to congratulate a man who has frequently appeared on billboards in this area advertising various goods.
This was star power marketing in a nation with a dearth of elite sports.
Meeessssiii Meeessssiii resounded throughout the stands, although Ahhh-gen-ting was only sporadically audible. Argentina in Chinese. The majority of the tickets for the event were sold for between $400 and $680 (£313 to £532), which led to quips on Chinese social media that these were not pricing you would expect at the recently renovated Workers’ Stadium.
Nevertheless, 68,000 of them sold out in a matter of seconds, drawing crowds from all around China.They would not have moved in that way if it weren’t for Lionel Messi.
From the moment the Argentine superstar landed, Messi Mania swept through Beijing. Even getting outside to train before the game has been challenging due to a small group of fans camped outside the team hotel. A few supporters purchased pricey accommodations at five-star hotels in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the player who helped his nation win the World Cup.
Recent fan promotion live streams on the internet shopping platform Taobao provided a chance to view him. Taobao has very big coffers, so while this marketing-style Q&A session would not have been inexpensive, two and a half million viewers turned in, per local media reports.
In fact, the excitement surrounding Messi’s visit to Beijing has been so intense that the authorities have had to issue warnings to fans not to fall for fraud guaranteeing supper with the celebrity or other forms of VIP treatment. In China, Messi is a huge draw. Even those who know nothing about football at all have heard of his name.
It was an intriguing decision to match the world champions up with Australia rather than the Chinese national side. The organizers could have picked any squad to play Argentina, in principle. There have been some rumors that the organizers may not have wanted to take an opportunity on the probable spectacle of Chinese supporters cheering hysterically as Messi scored a goal against their own nation.
They ultimately picked Australia, one of the strongest teams in Asia. The Australians, on the other hand, had nothing to lose. Nobody expected the Socceroos to win this one after their respectable 2-1 loss to Argentina in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar.
To prepare for their next World Cup campaign, they sent a young side to Beijing to test fresh players against the best.
However, there was much to shout about for the few Australian fans present.
After Messi’s opening goal, they weathered an onslaught of Argentina’s tries and launched a few counterattacks of their own, missing many scoring opportunities as the Chinese fans applauded and clapped in support. Argentina, though, had too much class, even in a friendly, and their second goal ultimately decided the result.
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