Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates will visit Hong Kong in February for a one-off exhibition match with a local squad.

It will be the first time the forward, now 36, will play at the Hong Kong Stadium since facing the Hong Kong team in 2014, when he came off the bench to score twice in leading his squad to a 7-0 victory.

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham announced yesterday that the exhibition match against a Hong Kong team of special invitees is on February 4.

"Hong Kong has such a great sports scene,'' the former football star and model said. "We're pleased to be able to bring the team to this fantastic city as part of Inter Miami's debut game in Asia."

Inter Miami's managing owner Jorge Mas said many team members are excited to be visiting Hong Kong and Asia for the first time.

"From the very beginning we set out to be a global club at Inter Miami," he said.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to do just that. We hope to inspire new Inter Miami fans in Hong Kong and across Asia who share our passion for football."

The highly anticipated game will feature an Inter Miami squad with the likes of World Cup-winning Argentina captain Messi alongside Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who have been teammates with Messi since his time playing for Barcelona.

Hong Kong Football Association chairman Eric Fok Kai-shan said many are already anticipating Inter Miami's visit.

"The Hong Kong Football Association is committed to raising the standard of football and bringing new experiences to local fans," he said.

"We will continue to bring more world-class football teams to play here and further establish Hong Kong as a regional hub for mega sporting events."

The Hong Kong team will be put together with the best players in the local league, and a poster might have provided clues to its makeup.

Local pride and young goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing, midfielders Wong Wai and Tan Chun-lok and defender Shinichi Chan are four faces featured on the poster that appeared yesterday.

After the announcement shops selling Inter Miami shirts reported a boom in business and revealed prices of Messi replica kit could be hiked if there is solid demand.

A Mr Wong, in charge of Unisports specializing in selling football kit in Mong Kok, said his shop sold four Messi shirts right after the announcement of the game and received a dozen inquiries.

"The home kit of Inter Miami are currently sold at around HK$1,000 to HK$1,500 with all options included," he said. "If the demand continues to surge I will increase the price by HK$100 to HK$200."

Tourism sector legislator Perry Yiu Pak-leung welcomed news of the match and said it would promote the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism in Hong Kong.

"I believe the match will attract a large number of foreign and mainland visitors even if the tickets are expensive as global sports stars such as Messi are very popular," Yiu said.

Lan Kwai Fong Association director Anthea Cheung So-may said bar operators welcome the visit.

"The visit of Messi and Beckham will definitely set off a wave of enthusiasm for football," Cheung said. "We also welcome customers who love football but don't have a ticket to watch the match and enjoy the atmosphere in bars."

Many bars in Lan Kwai Fong have TV screens to broadcast the match.

Catering veteran Simon Wong Ka-wo said the game will attract tourists from Macau, Southeast Asia and even beyond to Hong Kong and boost the food and drinks business.

But the condition of the Hong Kong Stadium pitch could be a worry.

For among uses in the countdown to February 4 will be a star-studded football exhibition match on January 10 with at least 23 renowned former international players - including Paul Scholes, Michael Owen and Luis Figo - playing against local stars, including Leslie Santos and Lee Kin-wo.

Football fans are already taking to social media to urge stadium authorities to prepare a good pitch for the Messi match.

"I don't want an embarrassing situation like when Manchester United played on mud instead of grass at the Hong Kong Stadium when the team came in 2013," a web user said.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com