Argentine superstar Lionel Messi arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a friendly match before leaving a storied European career to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami as a free agent.

His arrival was announced in a post on the organising International Football Invitation's official Weibo social media site with a video of players stepping off a plane, ahead of Thursday's Argentina-Australia match in the Chinese capital's recently rebuilt Workers' Stadium.

This is the Argentina captain's seventh visit to China and his first since 2017.

He has received a fervent welcome on each of his previous visits to China, which has a huge football fan base despite the struggles of the men's national team.

His arrival was a top-trending topic on Chinese social media on Saturday.

“I’m so excited,” said 26-year-old hospital administration worker Guo Wenwen from Guizhou province.

Guo has followed Messi since 2014, owns around 30 replica Messi jerseys and regularly posts videos on social media related to the Argentine.

Like many she does not yet have a ticket for the match but she is going to Beijing anyhow to see if she can get one.

“I’m going to Beijing to try to see him,” she said.