According to Italian media La Gazzetta dello Sport, Chinese fraudsters are asking for 39,000 euros (about 300,000 yuan) to spend an exclusive night with world champion Lionel Messi from Argentina.
Messi arrived in Beijing on Saturday. His national team will face Australia in a friendly in the Chinese capital on June 15. Since Messi’s arrival, a series of dubious claims have surfaced online, including a €650 stadium pass and an exclusive VIP package that includes signed jerseys for Argentina players, first-row seats and a photo with the star.
Tickets for Argentina’s friendly of China, priced at 620 euros, sold out in a very short time. Although payment order and identification documents were required to enter the stadium, resellers resold tickets online for more than three times the original price, according to police.
Earlier, France’s Paris Saint-Germain announced that Messi would be leaving at the end of the season, with his contract set to expire on June 30. The Argentine announced in an interview with World Sport on Wednesday that he will continue his career in the United States – joining Miami International, a football club co-owned by former England captain David Beckham.
Messi, 35, is a seven-time Ballon d ‘Or winner, four-time Champions League winner and 10-time Spanish champion. In December 2022, Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title.