A pre-season friendly kicked off at 4 p.m. at the Hong Kong Stadium today (Feb. 4), featuring eight-time Ballon D'Or winner Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami colleagues.
The footballers were greeted by waves of whees and wows from a houseful of audience.
Miami took on a team comprised of the best players in the Hong Kong Premier League at the 40,000-capacity stadium.
"We're very excited to be visiting HK and indeed Asia for the very first time," explained Jorge Mas, Inter Miami CF Managing Owner.
"From the very beginning, we set out to be a global club at Inter Miami. This is a wonderful opportunity to do just that; we hope to enthuse and inspire new Inter Miami fans in HK and across Asia who share our passion for football."
"HK is a beautiful city with a great sports scene," said Inter Miami CF Co-Owner David Beckham, who played in HK in 2008 in a friendly with then-club LA Galaxy.
"Throughout my career, I have spent a lot of time in Asia – I am so pleased to have the opportunity to bring Inter Miami to play our first international tour match in this fantastic city."
Football legend Lionel Messi arrived in Hong Kong on Friday with his Inter Miami teammates and was greeted by government officials at the airport.
Police on Thursday said they will close roads around Hong Kong Stadium over the weekend. Police said people without tickets will not be allowed to go near the stadium.
The Lunar New Year Cup is also returning to Hong Kong after a five-year hiatus. World Cup winners Francesco Totti, Marco Materazzi, and Carles Puyol are set to play on February 13.
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