Messi, Beckham booed after superstar sits out Hong Kong friendly

The World Cup-winning captain, who has a hamstring strain, stayed rooted to the bench throughout the 4-1 friendly win against a Hong Kong select XI. It brought a show of anger from the near-capacity crowd of 38,323 who had paid upwards of 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($125) to see their hero, and in many cases a lot more.

Halfway through the second-half, chants of "We want Messi" rose around the Hong Kong Stadium from fans desperate to see the greatest footballer of his generation in the much-hyped exhibition game.

The booing became louder during the last 10 minutes when it became clear that the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner would not make even the briefest of cameos. The jeers rose to a crescendo at the final whistle after former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez also failed to take to the pitch because of a knee injury.

Miami co-owner Beckham was drowned out by booing as he tried to thank the crowd "for their incredible support" while fans signalled their anger with thumbs-down gestures.

"We understand the disappointment of the fans for the absence of Leo (Messi) and Luis Suarez," Miami coach Gerardo Martino told reporters, explaining the club's medical team had taken the decision after an assessment on Sunday morning.

"We understand a lot of fans are very disappointed and we ask for their forgiveness. We wish we could have sent Leo and Luis on for at least a while but the risk was too big."

The 36-year-old Messi played just six minutes in Miami's last match, in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, and now faces a race against time to be fit for the new MLS season which starts on February 21.