Lionel Messi fever grips Hong Kong as Inter Miami tickets sell out in 1 hour – then scalpers make US$1,500 on Viagogo
- Tickets snapped up for Miami’s game against a Hong Kong team on February 4, as fans appear undeterred by eye-watering ticket prices
- Messi’s iconic status underlined with his World Cup shirts selling for more than US$7 million at auction
Tickets for February’s football match between Lionel Messi’s club Inter Miami and a Hong Kong team were listed online for up to HK$12,000 (US$1,537) a pair on Friday, after selling out within an hour of being made available to the public.
Seats at the match, priced HK$880 to HK$4,880, could be bought officially only on the Klook app, and fans were not put off by the sky-high prices, with the sold-out signs up soon after an 11am sales launch.
Supporters quickly descended on resale site Viagogo to shell out sums ranging from HK$8,800 to HK$12,000 to snare two tickets together to watch the US club, co-owned by David Beckham.
Argentine Messi’s iconic standing had been underlined overnight when six of the jerseys he wore during last year’s triumphant Fifa World Cup campaign sold for a cool US$7.8 million (HK$60.9 million).
The 36-year-old eight-time Ballon d’Or winner – whose World Cup success completed a personal clean sweep of major club and international honours – is set to play at Hong Kong Stadium on February 4, alongside Miami and former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.