Messi in Hong Kong: how can Miami-style tours satisfy Asia fans? Barcelona’s Ilkay Gundogan has a solution

Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan says condensing Far East tours could help visiting football teams avoid repeating the Lionel Messi affair in Hong Kong.

European clubs have long jetted to the region in preseason, balancing preparation for competitions back home with exploring new markets and earning appearance money.

Inter Miami, aiming to establish a global following, sought to cash in on Messi-mania with visits to El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan as they got ready for their domestic Major League Soccer campaign.

That upped the demands on the 36-year-old former Barcelona talisman Messi, who had nursed several minor strains in recent months, leading to his non-playing appearance in Hong Kong and an extraordinary outcry.

Gundogan, now playing for Messi’s old club, came to Hong Kong in 2019 with Manchester City. Three days after facing local club Kitchee, he was playing against Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan.

“Organisation is the key for these trips to be successful,” Gundogan told the Post. “Going to Asia means a lot of travel from Europe, especially if we visit more than a couple of places in a short space of time.

“I have experience of going to three different countries in 10 days. It makes it very difficult. You feel you are just travelling and playing.

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“We genuinely look forward to seeing new places and fans, and to getting to know their football culture. But if there is too much travel, there is no time to learn about the countries and enjoy them.

“The travelling and time difference makes it very challenging for players. It is usually preseason, and we want to prepare ourselves and reach the best physical condition we can, as well as offering fans the best quality of football possible.

“Maybe it is better to go to one place, or a couple maximum.”

Gundogan, 33, won the Uefa Champions League with City last summer and has made 94 appearances in the blue-riband European competition, losing a final with Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and another with City eight years later before Pep Guardiola’s team won it in 2023 to complete a domestic and continental treble.

Like Uefa’s version, the AFC Asian Champions League (ACL) will have a revamp next season, including a 24-team elite tier and a finals stage, from quarter-finals onwards, played in Saudi Arabia.

That did not stop Gundogan calling the ACL a “great competition, attracting more attention from Europe because of Cristiano Ronaldo and the other talents playing in it”.

Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al Nassr are in the last eight this year, while Gundogan’s Barcelona are level with Napoli ahead of a home second leg in Uefa’s round of 16. But while there are some parallels, Gundogan warned against Asia simply imitating Europe.

“I am not a big fan of copying, because every competition has its own charm,” the Germany captain said. “For the Asian people, their competition is already a big thing. It has a different culture.

“I am watching more [of the ACL]. Asian teams are making a big effort to attract more European talent, and [as a result], the competition is gaining more attention.”