(Beijing) Hours of waiting, an expensive hotel room, a chase through the streets of Beijing: nothing deterred Liu Yuhang, a die-hard Lionel Messi supporter who finally got a close look at the Argentine star .
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, currently in the Chinese capital for an Argentina-Australia friendly match to be played on Thursday, has aroused the enthusiasm of a crowd of supporters since his arrival in China on Saturday.
Among them: Liu Yuhang, a 26-year-old programmer who has been following the performances of the football world champion for a decade.
“He’s not just a sportsman, he’s an artist,” the young man told AFP on Monday. “He gives more meaning to my life. It even became a kind of faith for me. »
When he learned that Lionel Messi was coming to China for a match, however, Liu Yuhang knew he would have a lot to do to see his idol in the flesh.
He first joined the group of admirers waiting for the star outside the Argentina team hotel. A waste of time: he couldn’t see the world champion.
Never mind. Liu Yuhang then spent more than 2,000 yuan (375 Canadian dollars), a substantial sum in China, to book a room inside the five-star establishment.
But he was again defeated by the important security device.
His luck finally came on Sunday evening, when he saw Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni leaving the hotel on his way to a training session.
Liu Yuhang then chased the team bus on a bicycle before finding himself, panting and sweaty, next to the vehicle at a red light.
His reward: a brief wave from a puzzled-looking Lionel Messi and a remote selfie with the Argentine star, visible in the background sitting in the coach.
“I was really happy,” says Liu Yuhang. “I spent quite a lot of money in the end. But if I hadn’t […] I might have regretted it all my life! »
Official ticket prices for the Argentina-Australia match range from 580 to 4,800 yuan ($110 to $900) and sold out very quickly.
“I tried to buy one, but couldn’t,” says Liu Yuhang, who will watch the meeting online with friends.
