Argentina national team trapped as Chinese fans surround hotel to see Lionel Messi, video goes viral
Lionel Messi and his Argentina comrades were momentarily trapped in their Beijing hotel over the weekend.
A horde of impassioned fans had flocked outside the hotel, hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of the superstar, as can be seen in the viral video from TyC Sports below.
¡Miles de hinchas en China se agolpan en el hotel de la Selección Argentina!
@gastonedul está allá y estuvo con ellos. https://t.co/vOt9SUb7BQ
Lionel Messi, who shepherded Argentina to a triumphant World Cup victory just months prior, was given a huge reception by fans upon his Saturday (June 10) arrival at the Beijing airport. This was in anticipation of a friendly encounter between Argentina and Australia in the bustling Chinese capital, which is set to take place on June 15.
In the aftermath of his arrival, 'Messi' swiftly dominated the trending charts on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo. Amid safety concerns, Argentina's routine pre-match training session slated for Sunday (June 11) had to be postponed. The reasons behind this delay? The extraordinarily zealous fans who made it virtually unfeasible for the team to depart from their hotel, according to CNN.
Finally, however, after what must have seemed an eternity for the Argentina squad, images confirmed they managed to train later on Sunday evening.
Fans are warned to be cautious against fraud as Lionel Messi visits China
Despite the steep ticket price of up to 4,800 yuan ($670), Argentina vs Australia friendly match at the 68,000-seater Workers Stadium became a hot commodity. Tickets were snapped up in less than 20 minutes, the Global Times reported (via CNN).
The demand was so intense that resale sites were found offering tickets at several multiples of their original cost. This has led the Beijing police department to issue a cautionary note to fans. They warned them to stay vigilant about potential scams circulating on social media.
A particular deceptive ad on Weibo falsely promised a dinner event with Messi for a staggering 300,000 yuan ($42,000) per individual. Beijing's public security bureau quashed the rumor via its official Weibo account, humorously noting (via CNN):
"If you can be scammed of 300,000 yuan, then our police will raise a glass to you."
Several unverified Weibo accounts have also been caught advertising VIP stadium passes, front-row seats to the game, and signed Argentina jerseys at exorbitant prices.
In a display of zealous fandom, one Lionel Messi fan reportedly shelled out a hefty 10,000 yuan ($1,400) on various posh Beijing hotels. This was all in the hopes of perhaps accidentally running into the superstar, as stated by state-controlled media (via CNN).