2023-06-12 11:56:32
It took hours of waiting, renting a hotel room, and an exhausting chase across Beijing.
But it was, from the point of view of an obsessed Chinese fan, worth it for a selfie with his Argentine hero Lionel Messi, even though it came out blurry.
The Argentine star is in the Chinese capital for a friendly match once morest Australia on Thursday, and has been greeted by crowds of football fans eager to see him even for a moment, including Liu Yuhang, a 26-year-old computer programmer from northeastern Liaoning Province, who has taken the trophy winner world icon a decade ago.
The selfie picture did not clearly show Messi
The selfie picture did not clearly show Messi
“He’s not just an athlete, he’s an artist,” Liu told AFP on Monday. “He gave me more meaning in life and became a kind of faith for me.”
The Chinese youth explained that he felt “very excited” when he heard that Messi would make a rare visit to China, but he knew that he would face an uphill battle to see his idol in person.
“stalking” details
- Leo first joined the crowds of fans waiting outside the Argentina national team hotel, but he mightn’t get a proper look at Messi on his way inside.
- The Chinese youth spent more than two thousand yuan ($ 280) on a luxurious room inside, but his plan was thwarted once more due to the high security fence.
- His chance finally came on Sunday, when he saw the team bus leave the hotel on its way to a training session.
- A frantic bike chase through the capital in sweltering heat culminated in a breathless Leo standing next to the national team bus at a red light, and his reward was a brief wave from a bemused-looking Messi in the back seat, and a distant “selfie” with the player in the background.
- “At that moment, I felt really happy,” Liu said. “I spent a lot of money on it, but if I didn’t, I would probably always regret it.”
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Messi arrived in Beijing on Saturday, and will lead Argentina once morest Australia in the newly renovated “Workers’ Stadium”, which can accommodate 68,000 spectators.
The confrontation between the two teams will be a rematch of the World Cup match in the round of 16 last year, when Argentina won 2-1 on its way to winning the title.
Tickets for the match, which ranged in price from 580 to 4,800 yuan, sold out at a record speed, and Liu was unable to buy a single one.
“I tried to buy a ticket, but I mightn’t,” he said, adding that he had planned to broadcast the match online with his friends.
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