Despite the fact that Lionel Messi was just listed on the bench for the beginning of Inter Miami’s match against Vissel Kobe, fans in Japan showed their support for him by celebrating his arrival.

Messi was not included in Inter Miami’s starting eleven during their preseason tour, which is the second time that this has happened. MLS is now in East Asia to compete against Vissel Kobe, and Messi has been selected to sit on the bench for the match that will take place at Japan National Stadium. Fans in the Japan National Stadium gave the World Cup winner a rousing reception on multiple occasions when they saw him appear on the big screen, as well as when he went through his warm-up routine on the touchline. Despite the fact that the World Cup winner has been forced to sit on the sidelines prior to the beginning of the new Major League Soccer season due to an injury, this did not prevent them from seeing him perform his warm-up routine.

As a result of Messi’s limited playing time during Inter Miami’s tour, the club was met with criticism from fans who were upset with the team. During the most recent match, which was played against a Hong Kong XI, the superstar did not play, which resulted in both Messi and owner David Beckham being jeered at and requests for refunds being made. Fanatics have also asserted that they have experienced a sense of being “scammed” after purchasing tickets but being unable to watch Messi play. In Japan, on the other hand, the situation was rather different. Those who were inside the stadium were enthusiastically shouting for the former Barcelona player when he appeared on the big screen, despite the fact that he was not actually playing at the time.