Et was after the seventieth minute when the fan couldn’t stay seated at Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium. He boldly swung himself over the concrete parapet behind the corner flag and ran to his idol. Like most of the fifty thousand spectators in the stadium, this boy wore Lionel Messi’s jersey.
But only he was able to hug the star player of the Argentina national team on the field during the game. And this in the capital of the People’s Republic of China, where so many surveillance cameras and security guards keep order that it seemed almost unbelievable how such a boy could have escaped half a dozen security guards stumbling after him for so long.
“Niubi, Niubu, Niubi” the spectators cheered him on frenetically while the boy ran away: That’s slang for super cool, blatant, sensational. He was also able to shake hands with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez until, exhausted, he collapsed onto the pitch and the stadium cheered him on as he was carried away on all fours. The cameras of Chinese state television had long since switched off.
No official statement yet
A little later, videos circulated on social networks in which the boy returned to his seat, took selfies with the other Chinese fans and said out of breath: “I’m fine, I’m not yet 18 years old.” There is no official statement yet. It is unclear whether the fan will be punished later.
The friendly match between Argentina and Australia, played in Beijing just on the birthday of leader Xi Jinping (who was not at the stadium), drew huge attention in China. Thousands of Chinese fans had waited for the world champion team at the airport, besieged their hotel and tried to witness the training session.
Around the corner from the stadium, the multi-story glass complex of the Adidas store was illuminated in Argentinian colors, the Sanlitun neighborhood covered in Argentinian jerseys. But even upon entry, it had become clear that China was still China, even with Lionel Messi. The multiple world footballer did not get through passport control.
Visiting China requires applying for a visa and Messi hadn’t applied for one. The best soccer player in the world apparently assumed there would be no problem with his Spanish passport. Messi had to wait two hours on an iron airport bench to be allowed through with special permission.
The game then went faster. In the second minute of the game, Messi scored the opening goal with a fine flick, in the 68th minute German Pezella headed in to make it 2-0. A little later the boy ran into the field. A cellphone recording of his run was viewed by more than 54 million Chinese on short-messaging service Weibo as of Thursday evening. A brief moment of relief as a young man just starts running.