On February 13, 2024, the Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup football match, which had been absent for four years, reappeared in the arms of the Hong Kong Stadium like an old friend. After the haze of Messi's incident, this game was like a bright star, piercing the silent night sky.
The enthusiasm of 20,000 or 30,000 people gathered into a torrent and poured into the stadium. Totti, Piero, Materazzi, Villa ......These former World Cup champions have now gathered together to form a star-studded "World Star Team" with Belon, Morientes and other football leaders. Every time they touch the ball, it is as if they are telling the legend of football.
Although it was just an exhibition match, every encounter between the stars and Hong Kong's local team made the blood boil. In the end, the World Stars won the game with a score of 7 3, but it didn't matter, what was important was the joy and passion that football brings.
Looking back on Messi's past, we can't help but think: football, a sport that originated thousands of years ago, once allowed Gao Yu to climb from a humble starting point to the peak of Tai Yu. However, football is ultimately just entertainment, a performance for people to enjoy. No matter how skilled we are, we should know where we are. Messi, perhaps, has put himself in a difficult situation because he lost this.
Fears that Messi's case will make stars shy away from Hong Kong now seem to be nothing more than nonsense. The charm of money is enough to attract countless football legends to participate in the competition, and this grand and successful football exhibition match in Hong Kong is undoubtedly a powerful riposte to Messi. It tells us that Messi is not indispensable and that in the world of football, there will always be new stars.
And for those football stars who think very highly of themselves and get carried away, this game is also a wake-up call. Playing is a matter of respect for the spectators and the profession. Messi's incident is just an after-dinner conversation that will eventually dissipate over time. But hopefully Messi can learn from this and not let today's stubbornness become tomorrow's regret.