No Messi repeat? Star names, ticket price revealed for Atletico Madrid match in Hong Kong
- Euro 2024 and Copa America stars will appear, host club Kitchee say, raising prospect of seeing likes of World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann
Fifa World Cup winners Antoine Griezmann, Rodrigo De Paul, Nahuel Molina and Angel Correa are set to be among the Atletico Madrid stars who take on Kitchee in Hong Kong this summer.
The La Liga team will play the local side at Hong Kong Stadium on August 7, as part of a preseason tour of Asia.
Ken Ng Kin, owner of the Hong Kong Premier League outfit, said the contract terms stipulated Atletico’s star names would play in Hong Kong, barring injuries, transfers, personal matters or international call-ups.
Mindful of the Lionel Messi saga in February, when the Argentina captain caused outrage by sitting out Inter Miami’s visit to the city, Ng admitted it was difficult to guarantee a minimum appearance time for certain players and said he “can only trust” Atletico.
Ng also revealed that government advisory body the Major Sports Events Committee was to contribute to the cost of luring the 11-time La Liga champions. He said the total cost was an eight-figure sum close to what the club forked out for their 2019 match against Manchester City.
