Nearly two million people lined up online to purchase tickets for Friday’s Lionel Messi match against Hong Kong, and the seats sold out in just an hour, according to the organizers.
On February 4, the legendary Argentine player and his Inter Miami team will take on a Hong Kong XI at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium.
There was a massive queue of football fans (tickets ranged from HK$880 to HK4,880, or $110 to $625) as they logged into the booking app on Friday morning in the finance metropolis, home to 7.5 million people.
The chairman and CEO of Tatler Asia, Michel Lamuniere, who is assisting in the game’s production, said, “We are absolutely thrilled with the response from the fans.”
A screenshot of the app displaying an error message referring to “traffic overload” was shared on social media by a number of users.
The last time Messi appeared in a friendly match in Hong Kong was in 2014.
Former Miami co-owner, David Beckham, stated the MLS team was excited to play in a “beautiful city with a great sports scene.” Beckham played in Hong Kong in 2003, shortly after joining Real Madrid.
According to the promoters, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets will also be part of Miami’s lineup in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong XI will include players from the top level in the Chinese territory.
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