Opinion | Enter the Dragon: let’s show the world what Hongkongers are made of

The Lionel Messi mess is going to rile, for some time, Hongkongers and those who made the trip to the city to see Inter Miami play the Hong Kong XI in the wildly anticipated exhibition game. It’s the first time in a long while that something has caused so much excitement – and so much outrage.

Whatever happened – not least what kept Messi and Luis Suarez off the pitch in Hong Kong but not for the friendly against J-League champion Vissel Kobe in Tokyo just 72 hours later – may never be fully known.

And Messi snubbing Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and other government officials at the trophy award ceremony? That just added insult to injury. Anyhow, it’s the Consumer Council that’s going to be busy dealing with complaints against the organiser Tatler Asia.

But, as we celebrate the Lunar New Year, we can let bygones be bygones. Out with the old and in with the new, as they say – so, whether Messi likes to play anywhere he can except in Hong Kong, or whether he comes back, we will move on.

And we will move on with many lessons learned from the Year of the Rabbit. It’s been a year of kicking the man while he’s down, really. Remember how we were laughed at by mainland social media users, who called our stock market’s Exchange Square headquarters a relic?