Lionel Messi Arrives In China Using A Private Jet Welcomed By Meriah

Argentine national team star Lionel Messi (photo: INSTAGRAM @leomessi)

JAKARTA Lionel Messi's soccer superstar arrived in Beijing on a private jet. The owner of the seven Ballon d'Or entered the Argentina national team squad for the FIFA Matchday match against Australia.

The Daily Mail reported that Messi arrived in China on Saturday, June 10 at noon local time. The arrival of the former Barcelona player was greeted by hundreds of fans who were waiting for him.

'Messi! Messi!' shouted several hundred fans waiting for him at the airport. Many fans wore Argentine jerseys with blue-and-white lines number 10 belonging to the star.

Several hundred other fans are also waiting for Messi outside his hotel. The hotel Messi will live in is not far from the banks of the Liangma River, which is popular among Beijing residents for a walk.

This is Messi's seventh trip to China. According to local media reports, the last time La Pulga visited the country was in 2017.

Argentina as the 2022 World Champion will play a friendly match against Australia on June 15 at the Workers Stadium with a capacity of 68,000 which has just been renovated in Beijing.

The match will be the rematch of the last 16 round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. At that time Argentina managed to win 2-1 against Socceroos.

The arrival of global sports star Messi became the most talked about topic on the Weibo social network.

"I really wanted to see Messi!" wrote one user.

"I still feel the emotion of the game when Argentina secures the World Cup," another said referring to Albiceleste's victory after the epic final against France in December.

After fighting China, Messi and his friends will head to Indonesia. The match against Indonesia will take place at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on June 19.