(Tokyo) Expect to see Lionel Messi play on Wednesday in Tokyo, while Inter Miami will face Japanese club Vissel Kobe in a friendly match.
And don’t expect another public relations nightmare, as happened on Sunday when Argentina’s captain sat on the bench for the entire game against a team of top players in Hong Kong, angering thousands of spectators who demanded a refund.
His teammate Luis Suarez — another Inter Miami star player — also stayed away from the game.
Messi appeared at a five-star hotel in Tokyo on Tuesday for his second press conference since joining Inter Miami on June 7, and his first since August 17. He sat on a stool, alone, wearing a pink team jacket, and displayed humility.
He was likely put under pressure by the event’s Japanese sponsors, including Vissel Kobe, a club where his former FC Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta quickly became a crowd favorite before leaving last year.
“The truth is that I feel much better than two days ago,” Messi said in Spanish. And everything will depend on how the training takes place. And if I’m honest, I still don’t know if I’ll be able (to play) or not. But I feel a lot better, and I really wish I could play. »
Messi trained late Tuesday on the outskirts of Tokyo and appeared in good physical condition, performing a few drills at full speed without much difficulty on a Japan Soccer Association training ground. He did not meet with journalists after the session.
Messi tried to explain to soccer fans in Hong Kong that he was unable to play due to a groin injury. Some would have liked him to warm up slowly for a few minutes, which would probably have satisfied spectators who watched a match that had no real value, other than promotional one.
“The truth is that bad luck befell me on the day of the match in Hong Kong,” he explained, adding that “the discomfort remained and it would have been very difficult for me to play. »
“Unfortunately, in soccer, anything can happen in a match, and you can get injured. “It’s disappointing, because I always want to be on the field, I want to participate, and it’s even more true for these matches, when we travel great distances and the spectators can’t wait to watch us play,” he said. he added.
Inter Miami’s world tour was very disappointing, while the Florida team is trying to develop its brand image by banking on Messi and Suarez, in particular. In five matches in El Salvador, Dallas, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, Inter Miami has only one victory, being dominated 12-7 in terms of goals scored.
The Asian tour will end on Wednesday with a match at the National Stadium in Tokyo.