On the evening of February 19 (Monday) at 9:00 p.m., Lionel Messi posted a video lasting over 2 minutes on his Weibo account “梅西LeoMessi10,” responding to the incident of not playing in Hong Kong.
Messi stated on Weibo that he wanted to clarify some facts through this video and once again thanked all the fans who came to support him and the team in Hong Kong, thanking everyone for their cheers and support. “I had inflammation of the adductor muscle and really couldn’t play in the match.”
In the video, Messi mentioned that he has had a very close and special relationship with China since the beginning of his professional career, and interviews and matches in China have left him with beautiful memories. He explained, “I had inflammation of the adductor muscle during the match in Hong Kong, and I really couldn’t play. I felt uncomfortable, and there was a risk of worsening the injury.”
Messi explained that he had attempted to participate in training the day before the match in Hong Kong, making efforts for all the fans who came to watch the training. “I did my best, and I also participated in a football interaction class with children after the training ended, but I really couldn’t play in the match.”
Regarding speculation from the outside world about whether he refused to play due to political reasons, Messi responded, “As fans know, I always want to participate in every match, always yearn for the field. I heard someone say that I didn’t want to play because of political reasons or many other reasons, but these are not true. If that were the case, I wouldn’t even go to Japan or visit China multiple times as I did before.”
Finally, Messi explained why he played in Japan, saying, “A few days later, the injury felt slightly better, which is why I played in Japan for a while, in preparation for the league starting soon. I hope to recover some condition. I have already said all this at the press conference, but I think it is important to reiterate it now in the face of all these false news. As always, I want to send the best wishes to all the fans in China. I have always had a special feeling for you and will continue to do so. I hope we can see each other again soon.”
It is worth noting that Lionel Messi explained the incident during a press conference in Japan on February 6, stating that he had adductor muscle edema and could not play; on the evening of February 7, he posted on Weibo again, reiterating that his injury was swollen and painful; and now, appearing in a video to provide further explanation, although he has responded three times, he has not publicly apologized for the incident.