Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami skipper, disappointed his fans in Hong Kong by not playing in a highly anticipated match in front of a sellout crowd at Hong Kong Stadium on the weekend.
Messi cited swelling in his adductor muscle that made it difficult for him to play.
The benching of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner turned into a public relations debacle for his Major League Soccer side and the organizers of the local event.
On Tuesday, Messi spoke to media for the first time since the incident and expressed his disappointment about missing the game.
Speaking at a Tokyo hotel, he said that he left “much better” than he did a few days ago and left open the possibility of playing in Inter Miami’s friendly in Tokyo against J-League champions Vissel Kobe on Wednesday.
Messi attended an open-door training session in Hong Kong, where there was a clinic with kids, and he wanted to participate, but the discomfort was still there.
He hopes to get another opportunity to play in Hong Kong.
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Messi was coy about whether he would play in Wednesday’s friendly against Vissel Kobe, saying, “We still don’t know if I would be able to or not, but I feel much better than I did a few days ago and really want to be able to play.”
He added that he would need to see how it goes in training that day.
Scores of tickets were still available a day before the Tokyo match, unlike in Hong Kong, where it was a sellout.
Many Japanese fans, though, were content to catch a glimpse of Messi in the flesh, braving the chill to watch him at a training session just outside the Japanese capital for special ticket-holders.
The match is scheduled to take place at the Japan National Stadium on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (1000 GMT).
Messi spoke at the press conference alone after appearances by Beckham, coach Tata Martino, and teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez were canceled at the last minute.
