Captain Lionel Messi joined the national team in China where Argentina will play Brazil on Saturday and Hong Kong on Tuesday in friendlies. Many fans were trying to see Messi at the airport and the hotel.
BEIJING — Argentina’s national team with Lionel Messi made its first practice in Beijing, China where it will face Brazil on Saturday for the Americas Superderby trophy to be played at the Olympic Bird’s nest stadium. Three days later, Argentina will visit Hong Kong in the second friendly of the Asian tour.
The first training session was held at the Olympic Training Centre and coach Gerardo Martino could work with nearly the whole team — 22 players out of 23 named — as midfielder Ever Banega will arrive today.
Messi was among them. The team captain has been sidelined from the friendly match against Germany in Düseldorf on September 3 due to injury.
The Barcelona star was warmly welcomed at his arrival in China. Many fans were waiting for him at the airport and also nearby the Sheraton Hotel where the team is hosted. Even though Messi was the favourite player to get an autograph or a photo, Gonzalo Higuaín and Angel Di María also received ovations as they got into the lobby.
The national team’s closed-doors training session was focused on light excercises as most of the members playedduring the weekend for their clubs.
The players present in the practice were Sergio Romero, Nahuel Guzmán and Agustín Marchesín (goalkeepers); Pablo Zabaleta, Martín Demichelis, Santiago Vergini, Federico Fernández, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Facundo Roncaglia and Leonel Vangoni (defenders); Roberto Pereyra, Erik Lamela, Angel Di María, Enzo Pérez, Nicolás Gaitán, Javier Pastore, Fernando Gago and Javier Mascherano (midfielders); Gonzalo Higuaín, Messi and Sergio Agüero (forwards).
The squad will train today at the Bird’s nest stadium, built for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald staff with Télam, DyN