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Football superstar Lionel Messi made a guest appearance in a live-streaming show on Alibaba Group's Taobao Live platform on Wednesday afternoon, in the latest stop of his seventh visit to China.
The Argentinian forward - flanked by Li Xuanzhuo, an e-commerce influencer, and He Wei, a football commentator with state broadcaster China Central Television - spoke briefly about his football career and experience in the country. He also wished local fans a "happy Dragon Boat Festival", ahead of the national holiday on June 22.
"I want to say hi to all Chinese fans and I'm very happy to be here," he said through an interpreter in Spanish.
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Messi gestures to Chinese fans on a bus as he and other members of the Argentina national football team return to their hotel from practicing in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: AP Photo alt=Messi gestures to Chinese fans on a bus as he and other members of the Argentina national football team return to their hotel from practicing in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: AP Photo>
The logos of Avatar, an electric vehicle brand backed by Huawei Technologies Co, and Hengyuanxiang, a clothing and textile supplier, were seen on screen while Messi was talking. However, Messi did not promote any products on the show, and Li repeatedly stressed that all commercial activities were unrelated to the footballer.
The online show was the only chance for Chinese fans to see Messi live before his team faces Australia in a friendly match on Thursday night. Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, is trying to lure more viewers onto its live-streaming site as competition with rivals like ByteDance and PDD intensifies.
Viewers of the show, which took place mid-afternoon when many people were at work, surpassed 2.5 million at its peak - a small number compared to the more than 50 million people who tuned in last September for beauty product influencer Li Jiaqi's long-awaited return to Taobao.
Messi, front right, walks during practice in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: AP Photo alt=Messi, front right, walks during practice in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: AP Photo>
The show suffered intermittent audio issues that made it difficult to hear Messi or his translator at times. It was hosted by Foshan Yowant Technology, a firm focusing on developing influencer content. The company went public in Shenzhen in 2018.