Messi let them down and the company that will lose millions due to his injury

Lionel Messi is one of the most popular players in the world and now that he has decided to play in the MLS with Inter Miami, the Argentinean's fans around the world continue to support him in a huge way. So much so that wherever his team goes, stadiums fill up just to see him play. However, when Messi is unable to play due to injury, the companies that organize the matches often lose millions of dollars.

Related News: Former Barcelona player and his controversial statement on Dani Alves and Pogba

There is no doubt that Lionel Messi's image is extremely profitable. The Argentinean is the face of international brands such as Adidas, Lays and Mastercard, for which he is an ambassador. However, sometimes his absence can generate multi-million dollar losses and that was the case for the company Tatler Asia, which organized a friendly match in Hong Kong between Inter Miami and that country's All-Star XI.

Fans answered the call and sold out the friendly match, which was played on February 4 this year. Evidently everyone expected to see Lionel Messi play even for a few minutes, but unfortunately for them that did not happen, as the Argentinean star was sidelined at the last minute due to an injury and could not play, which caused the annoyance of thousands of fans who demanded a refund, as it had been previously announced that Messi was going to participate in that match.

Now, after a little over a month, the company organizing the event has confirmed that it will reimburse 50% of the ticket price to fans who request it. According to a BBC article, "refunds could cost up to HK$56 million (£5.6 million; $7.1 million)." However, Tatler Asia said those seeking refunds will have to agree to certain conditions, which include not initiating "proceedings before any court of law, tribunal [or] regulatory authority."

Related News: The millionaire amount that Real Madrid will lose due to Courtois' new injury

Messi is injured again

Injuries have become increasingly constant in Lionel Messi's career. Not only did he miss that match in Hong Kong that caused a lot of controversy, but he is currently injured once again and for that reason was unable to travel with the Argentine national team for the friendlies against El Salvador and Costa Rica. His absence will surely have an impact on the box office of those two matches.