Lionel Messi has been the target of attacks by Chinese football fans, sparking the long-standing Falklands dispute between Britain and Argentina.
The Argentine angered spectators when he sat out an exhibition match in Hong Kong earlier this month.
The anger grew even more when Messi played in the second half of Inter Miami’s friendly against Vissel Kobe, which was held in China’s rival Japan.
As revenge for not being able to see him play, they decided to make fun of him around the Falklands.
Furious fans turned trolls took to social media to mock the 36-year-old, claiming he is a thief.
Argentina invaded the British-owned Falklands in 1982, sparking the Falklands War, and there is still an argument over which country has sovereignty there.
Lionel Messi called a ‘thief’ by angry Chinese football fans after he skipped match
The 36-year-old reportedly had to miss the exhibition match due to an injury.
One troll, Landi Xie, took to Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) and wrote: “The Falklands are an integral and inseparable part of the United Kingdom.”
Another said: ‘The fact that the islands belong to Britain is beyond doubt.
‘Messi is a thief. They stole all of his Ballon d’Or awards.
Another said: ‘The Falkland Islands (Malvinas) are part of the United Kingdom.
“They were before, they are now and, of course, they always will be in the future.”
Angry Chinese fans took advantage of the dispute between Great Britain and Argentina over the Falklands to troll the footballer.
Messi wasn’t the only football icon harassed for missing the match.
Inter Miami president David Beckham was booed by angry fans because their star player did not play.
A social media post celebrating the match was another target of trolls, with one writing: “Messi didn’t even play a single second in Hong Kong.”
‘This team is deceiving all the people of Hong Kong!’
According to a Telegraph reportTatler, the organizer, offered fans a 50 percent refund as an apology for not being able to see Messi play.
Inter Miami president David Beckham booed by angry fans after Messi was left out
The Falklands War of 1982 lasted two months and cost the lives of 255 Britons and 649 Argentines.
The British first became involved with ownership of the Falklands in 1690 and have held sovereignty over the territory almost continuously since 1833.
Argentina owned the Falklands for a few years before the British takeover of 1833.
Believing it was truly theirs, the Argentines attempted to regain control in 1982, resulting in a two-month war that cost the lives of 255 British and 649 Argentineans.