After failing to qualify for Hong Kong, Messi hopes to play in the Tokyo friendly.

After disappointing fans in Hong Kong, Lionel Messi leaves open the prospect of participating in Inter Miami's friendly in Tokyo.Lionel Messi said he felt "much better" than he did a few days ago, leaving up the prospect of playing in Inter Miami's friendly in Tokyo after disappointed hordes of fans in Hong Kong by failing to show up on the field over the weekend.For both his Major League Soccer team and the local event organizers, the Argentine's benching for the much awaited encounter in front of a sold-out crowd at Hong Kong Stadium has become a public relations disaster.Messi revealed to the media on Tuesday that it was "disappointing" that he was unable to play, citing swelling in his adductor muscle.

This was Messi's first media appearance since the squad and its co-owner David Beckham were jeered off the field.The 36-year-old said at a news conference in a Tokyo hotel, "We had an open-door training session in Hong Kong, and I went out because there was such a big crowd there and there was a clinic with the kids, and I wanted to be there and participate."However, the truth is that I still felt uncomfortable, which made it really hard for me to perform."I hope there will be another opportunity for me to play in Hong Kong; I understand that people were looking forward to it."Messi expressed his desire to return to Hong Kong and play this time. "I hope we can return and we can play another game and I can be present," he stated. "Like I always try to do. However, the fact is that I regret not being able to take part."The captain of Inter Miami, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, was evasive when asked if he will play in Wednesday's friendly matchup with J-League winners Vissel Kobe.He continued, "I don't know about tomorrow; we'll have to see how training goes today." "I feel much better than I did a few days ago, and I really want to be able to play, but we still don't know if I would be able to."Following the last-minute cancellation of appearances by Beckham, coach Tata Martino, and teammates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, Messi addressed the press conference by himself.A day before the Tokyo match, many tickets remained available, unlike in Hong Kong, where they had gone on sale in late December.