Lionel Messi says he hopes to play the final game of Inter Miami’s Asian pre-season tour after his no-show at the team’s previous game in Hong Kong over the weekend disappointed a legion of soccer fans.

The Argentine’s benching for the highly anticipated game in front of a sold-out crowd at Hong Kong Stadium has become a PR debacle for his Major League Soccer team and the organizers of the local event.

Messi spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since the team and their co-owner David Beckham were booed off the pitch, saying it was “disappointing” that he could not play, citing swelling in his adductor muscle.

“In Hong Kong we had an outdoor training session and I went out because there were so many people there and there was a clinic with the kids and I wanted to be there and join in,” the 36-year-old said at a press conference in a hotel in Tokyo.

“But the truth is that the discomfort was still there and it was very difficult for me to play.

“I can understand that people were looking forward to it and I hope there will be another opportunity for me to play in Hong Kong.”

The Inter Miami captain, who led Argentina to 2022 World Cup triumph, was cautious about whether he would play in Wednesday’s friendly against J-League champions Vissel Kobe.

“I don’t know about tomorrow, we’ll have to see how things go in training today,” he added. “We still don’t know if I would be able to do it or not, but I feel a lot better than I did a few days ago and I’m dying to be able to play.”

Messi spoke alone at the press conference after appearances by Beckham, coach Tata Martino and teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez were canceled at the last minute.

Around 40,000 fans paid up to $600 to see Messi in action in Hong Kong. But when it became clear that he would not be used, boos rang out in the stadium.

“How do you bring Messi and Suarez to Hong Kong and not start them?” asked one fan. “It’s disappointing. Shame on you. It’s a shame for the organization, they should refund the people here.”

Organizer Tatler Asia said it only learned during the match that Messi would not play and withdrew its application for a $2 million government grant to stage the event.

“Tatler Asia had the best intentions to make the event a great success for Hong Kong by bringing together the best players in the world and fully understanding and sharing the disappointment of fans and stakeholders locally and abroad,” said Michel Lamuniere , Chairman and CEO press conference.

Hong Kong Sports Minister Kevin Yeung said the government had done everything it could to improve the situation.

“We immediately asked them to consider other remedies, such as having Messi appear on the pitch to interact with his fans and collect the trophy. “As you can all see, unfortunately that didn’t work out.”

Unlike Hong Kong, there were still plenty of tickets available a day before the Tokyo game after sales began at the end of December.

However, many Japanese fans were content to catch a glimpse of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in the flesh, braving the cold to watch him at a training session outside the Japanese capital for special ticket holders.

“I became a fan two years ago when my son started playing soccer,” said Miku Tomishima, 32, who said she was taking her son to the game this week as a gift for his 10th birthday.

Another mother-son pair traveled nearly 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Shiga in western Japan to check whether Messi can be crossed off their wish list.

“When we found out they were coming, we immediately decided we had to go, even if he had to skip school,” said Yukie Uno, standing next to her son Tairi.

“We couldn’t do that back then [Messi’s former club] Paris Saint-Germain came to Japan and it was really disappointing. We thought this might be the last chance, so we said we have to see him.”

The game at Japan National Stadium starts at 7:00 p.m. (10:00 GMT) on Wednesday.