Lionel Messi denied claims that his absence from a match in Hong Kong two weeks ago, which angered China, was a political statement. Instead, he clarified that it was due to an injury.
Despite being idolized by fans in China, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner remained on the bench during Inter Miami's 4-1 victory in a pre-season tour match against a Hong Kong select XI on Feb. 4.
The nearly 40,000 sellout crowd, who had paid upwards of 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($125) to watch the 36-year-old superstar play, expressed their disappointment by chanting "Refund!" and booing Messi and the team's co-owner, David Beckham, after the match.
Some nationalist politicians viewed Messi's absence as a deliberate snub to China, especially since the Argentine star was fit enough to play for 30 minutes in a friendly match a few days later in Japan.
In a video posted on China's Weibo social media platform late on Monday, the World Cup-winning captain rejected claims that his no-show was "for political reasons."
"If that had been the case," he said, "I would not have traveled to Hong Kong in the first place."
"As everyone knows, I always want to play and be in every game," he said.
Messi spoke in his video of a "very nice and very close" relationship with China, a country with which he said he had "done a lot of things."
His reason for not playing was injury, he said, specifically "inflammation of an adductor" muscle.
Fans on Weibo reacted quickly to the video, some in support of Messi.
"I believe the player I have always loved would never look at his fans with any kind of prejudice," wrote one user, adding, "he always values every fan."
"I still can't understand how such a supreme footballer, the greatest of all time, can be pilloried online to the extent that he is considered not to love China just for missing a friendly match," another fan wrote.
Not everyone was appeased.
"Turns out it's still hard to say sorry after all," read one Weibo comment.
"Give it a rest," said another. "Run off to Japan and drink sewage."
Messi starred last June when Argentina beat Australia in Beijing in a friendly, scoring in the opening minutes in front of an adoring crowd.
But next month's Argentina friendlies against Nigeria in Hangzhou and Africa champions Ivory Coast in Beijing were cancelled after Messi failed to play in Hong Kong.
