Lionel Messi was detained by Chinese police at Beijing airport; here's what happened

Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi was detained by the Chinese police at the Beijing airport in China on June 10 following a passport-related misunderstanding. 

Messi and Argentina are scheduled to play in an international friendly versus Australia at the Worker’s Stadium in Beijing on Thursday. The player had arrived in Beijing for the upcoming international friendly, but was detained by Chinese police due to lack of a visa. 

Videos of his detention quickly circulated online, with speculations running rampant. The football legend, who recently added a World Cup trophy to his name, was surrounded by police officers at the airport. 

Here's what happened: Messi possesses both Spanish and Argentinian passports. The former allows visa-free entry to Taiwan, but the player had mistaken it to be applicable to China and had not applied for a visa, resulting in his detention on arrival. 

The Chinese authorities quickly resolved the issue, and the player was handed an expedited visa and was on his way. 

Argentina will be looking to ride their World Cup high against Australia on June 15, before testing their mettle on Indonesian soil against Indonesia on June 19. 

Following the international friendlies, Messi will seal his departure from European football by joining Inter Miami in July.

Earlier this month, Messi shocked the world by departing Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at the end of his contract. The footballing legend made the decision to leave European football mere months after making history and winning it all at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar. 

Despite being among the very best in the world in his final year at PSG, the Argentinian superstar was not exempt from jeers and criticism from French fans. Noticing the criticism directed at the former Barcelona player, Messi’s former Argentinian teammate Sergio Aguero spoke in support of Messi. 

"Leo's time at PSG has been very relevant. Counting the five major leagues, including the Champions League, there are only two players who have passed 20 goals and 20 assists. One is Leo and the other is Vinicius. He was also the top assister in Ligue 1 with 16 passes leading to goals," Aguero said.