VIDEO: Lionel Messi mania! Fans go wild for Inter Miami star in Hong Kong - with a ship's sails decked out in pink in his honour & replica shirts selling out

Fresh from suffering back-to-back defeats against Al-Hilal and a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, the Florida-based MLS franchise have continued with their jet-setting pre-season tour. A star-studded squad that includes Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets has touched down in Hong Kong ahead of a meeting with a Select XI on Sunday.

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Supporters desperate for a glimpse of eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi flooded the hotel that Inter Miami’s squad are staying at. Road closures have also been announced, to manage the demand of fans heading to the upcoming fixture, while a traditional junk boat has been spotted in Victoria Harbour sporting Messi’s face on its sails.

Bus stops and LED screens across Hong Kong have been plastered with advertisements for Inter Miami’s latest friendly outing, while replica shirts have been flying off the shelves. One local shop owner has told the South China Morning Post of shifting his 200 Messi jerseys at a record rate – with said items now changing hands for as much as $166: “Normally it takes half a year to sell out. But this time within three months we only have one to two left in stock, 70 per cent was sold in the past month.”

Tickets for the Messi show sold out within an hour of going on sale in December, with prices continuing to rise there as mad scramble for entrance passes is sparked. The Herons will also be in action against Japanese side Vissel Kobe while in Asia, before returning to the United States for the start of the 2024 MLS campaign.