Is Lionel Messi Hong Kong bound? Talks under way to bring star and Inter Miami teammates to city for Lunar New Year Cup

is lionel messi hong kong bound? talks under way to bring star and inter miami teammates to city for lunar new year cup

Lionel Messi could be set to play in Hong Kong in February, after a source said his Inter Miami club was discussing playing in the 2024 Lunar New Year Cup.

Superstar Messi, who was awarded his eighth Ballon d’Or in October, last played in Hong Kong in 2014, when he scored twice in a 7-0 victory for Argentina over the city’s national team.

The Lunar New Year Cup is expected to return to the city for the first time since 2019, when mainland Chinese side Shandong Luneng won a four-team tournament that also included Auckland City, Sagan Tosu and a Hong Kong League XI.

Rumours over Inter Miami’s potential involvement heightened after reports that David Beckham, the American club’s co-owner and president, was in Hong Kong for a Louis Vuitton event on Thursday night.

is lionel messi hong kong bound? talks under way to bring star and inter miami teammates to city for lunar new year cup

Messi joined Inter Miami in July and quickly won silverware, before claiming an eighth Ballon d’Or. Photo: Reuters

A source close to the negotiations told the Post “Inter Miami and related parties are working on the process … there is a chance this will happen”.

Former Manchester United and England hero Beckham pulled off an enormous coup when he lured Messi to Miami from Paris Saint-Germain in July.

The Argentina captain, who inspired his country to World Cup glory last year, promptly led the US club to its first silverware, winning the Leagues Cup in August.

It is unclear who Inter Miami would face in the competition. Lunar New’s Year Day 2024 falls on Saturday February 10, the date of the AFC Asian Cup final in Qatar. The Africa Cup of Nations finishes on February 11, while all the major European leagues will be up-and-running following winter breaks.

Messi, 36, completed the set of major football honours when he got his hands on the World Cup at the fifth attempt last year.

He won four Uefa Champions League titles and three Fifa Club World Cups with Barcelona, multiple domestic championships in Spain and France, and an Olympic gold medal and Copa America for Argentina in 2008 and 2021, respectively.

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