Lionel Messi makes China go crazy

Football Star Lionel Messi gets rockstar welcome in China ahead of Australia friendly. Lionel Messi arrived in Beijing by private jet and was greeted by many Chinese fans. "Messi! Messi!" chanted several hundred fans who were waiting for him at the airport, many wearing the blue-and-white striped jersey of the Argentinian No.10. Hundreds of people waited outside the Argentina team hotel in central Beijing on Saturday, with one fan telling AFP they had booked a room in hopes of catching a glimpse of Messi after failing to secure match tickets. The arrival of global sporting superstar Messi was the most talked-about topic on the Popular Weibo social network of China. Chinese fans have been desperate to get close to their hero Messi, with tickets for the game ranging from 580 to 4,800 yuan quickly selling out. Dozens of merchants on the online shopping platform are offering to resell tickets for as much as 18,000 yuan, despite anti-scalping measures including an ID requirement for entering the stadium. World champions Argentina will play a friendly against Australia on June 15 at Beijing. The clash will be a rematch of the Round of 16 at the World Cup, where Argentina won 2-1 against the Socceroos. Messi, who has chosen to leave Paris Saint-Germain over the summer to pursue his career with Inter Miami, will also play another friendly match, when Argentina take on Indonesia in Jakarta on June 19, as part of this tour.