A young Chinese football player posted an apology to Lionel Messi on his Sina Weibo account for not standing up to shake the latter's hand after a barrage of criticism of his and his teammates' behavior flooded social media, as reported by the Global Times.
During a Chinese reality show, Li Boxi, 16, and his teammates remained seated while Messi, the internationally recognized Argentinean football player, shook their hands. Li and his teammates play for the Beijing Guoan Football Club.
The behavior of the players was picked up by social media, exposing them to widespread criticism for what many labeled as an "ill-bred and impolite gesture."
"Those uneducated kids should feel ashamed of themselves. Messi took the initiative and approached them, while they acted arrogantly as if they were stars," said one netizen on his Sina Weibo account.
On Sunday, Li apologized to Messi. He explained that the way he acted was not due to any dislike for the Barcelona forward. He explained that he was feeling disappointed toward the show's producer and did not expect that Messi would still meet them.
"According to the TV show's producer, only four out of 16 players can meet Messi in person. We were only filmed in the locker room and were quite upset about it," said Li. He added, "We were still upset when Messi came in. His appearance shocked us."
According to a report by online news portal sports.sina.com on Monday, the TV show asked the Guoan players to choose only four representatives to challenge Messi. This led to those who were not chosen believing that they would not get the chance to meet the football superstar.
Messi is currently considered one of the greatest football players to have ever played the game. He currently holds several records including the Guinness World Record for the most goals scored in a calendar year with 91 goals in 2012.