Lionel Messi Detained At Beijing Airport While On The Way To A Match

Lionel Messi was detained over the weekend at the Beijing Airport. He was on his way to the soccer game against Australia in China that will take place on Thursday. 

After he got off his flight, the Chinese Border Police stopped him. There allegedly were issues with his visa as he was using his Spanish passport instead of his Argentinean one. His passport from Argentina had his Chinese visa, but he didn’t have that one with him, which caused a small issue.

Thirty minutes later the issue was resolved and Messi was able to leave the airport. 

A fan took a video of the altercation. 

Messi has been playing for Argentina since 2005 and became captain in 2011. 

His next match after playing Australia will be against Indonesia where they will play in Central Jakarta. This will be Messi’s final match and the end of the soccer season. 

In July, Messi will join Inter Miami as he has decided not to renew his contract with PSG, which he has been with since 2021. He will join David Beckham’s Major League Soccer team. 

In 2008, Messi had one of the biggest wins of his career when the Argentian team he captained won the Olympic Gold Medal after beating Nigeria while playing in China. 

He has won numerous awards, including the World Cup in 2022 after Argentina beat France due to penalties.