Lionel Messi stopped at Beijing airport for hours after using wrong passport

Argentina icon Lionel Messi was reportedly stopped at China’s Beijing airport after failing to use the correct passport when entering the country.

Lionel Messi landed in China on a private jet over the weekend to join his compatriots ahead of Argentina’s friendly with Australia on Thursday (June 15). The 35-year-old, who was traveling with his bodyguard and friends, including Angel Di Maria, reportedly found himself in a bit of a bind at Beijing airport.

A viral video on social media showed Messi surrounded by quite a few police officers at the airport. He was caught talking to the officers, trying to explain the problem. The local Chinese press claimed (via The Mirror) that the Inter Miami-bound footballer tried to use his Spanish passport instead of his Argentine one, which led to confusion.

Moreover, it was reported that Messi thought he could enter China with his Spanish passport, as he did when he entered Taiwan. It is said that the Barcelona legend thought Taiwan was part of China. He was quoted as saying:

“Isn’t Taiwan China?”

Messi, who presumably did not have his Argentine passport, had to wait two hours before he was given a visa and allowed to enter China. This is Messi’s seventh trip to the country. Most memorable was in 2008, during the Beijing Olympics, where his exploits helped the Albiceleste team clinch gold in men’s soccer.

After facing Australia in Beijing on Thursday, Messi & Co will face Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on June 19.

Lionel Messi is ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in one key statistic in international soccer

The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is as old as time. Even though both players are nearing the end of their careers, the comparisons are still raging.

In international football, Ronaldo is ahead of the Argentine genius in terms of goals scored. The 38-year-old has 122 goals in 198 matches, while the 35-year-old Messi has 102 goals in 174 matches.

However, in terms of goal posts, Messi has the edge over Ronaldo. Apart from scoring 102 goals, Messi also recorded 54 assists, bringing his total contributions to 156 goals.

Not only is Lionel Messi narrowly ahead in terms of total goals scored, but he has played 24 fewer games than the Al Nasr star, resulting in a higher average. It takes Messi 93 minutes to score a goal, while Ronaldo takes a remarkable 101 minutes.