Messi goal ignites Chinese fans’ cheering craze on social media

Congratulations and applause erupted on Chinese social media on Sunday, after superstar Lionel Messi rescued Argentina from the brink of World Cup elimination, scoring a 2-0 win over Mexico, amid a pulsating atmosphere at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

“You can always count on Messi. The king of football is back! He made it under the great pressure, congratulations!” Liu Yujian, a 30-yearold fan of the Argentina team who stayed up late just for the game, told the Global Times on Sunday.

News and related topics about the news swept Chinese social platforms. The hashtag “Messi scored” has topped on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo, with 770 million views as of Sunday afternoon, statistics showed.

A Chinese fan based in Qatar wearing the uniform of Argentina said he came just to watch the games of Messi. He thought the chance that Argentina win the championship is still quite high, and hoped the team could get better.

“God bless Messi,” he shouted to the camera excitingly with tearful eyes.

Messi posted two Weibo contents on his official Sina Weibo account on Sunday to express his excitement.

“Today we had to win and we were able to do it. Another final is coming up on Wednesday and we all have to keep fighting together… Let’s go Argentina!!!” he said in one post.

A heartwarming photo of Messi and teamate midfielder Enzo Fernandez hugging together has also gone viral on Chinese social media, as the friendship of the two players has deeply touched many Chinese netizens.

“What a moment for them! They support each other. This is the great power of pursuit,” a Chinese fan wrote on Weibo.

Following a World Cupopening loss to Saudi Arabia, Messi scored in the 64th minute and then assisted Enzo Fernandez’s goal in the 87th to seal a 2-0 win over Mexico, which rekindled Messi’s hopes of a first-ever World Cup title.