Football star Lionel Messi was detained by police at an airport in China when he allegedly tried to enter the country without a visa.

Messi arrived in Beijing on a Gulfstream private jet accompanied by his bodyguard DePaul and well-known stars Di Maria, Enzo and Paredes on June 10.

He was travelling to the country to join his country's national team camp in preparation for the friendly match against Australia when he was stopped over the weekend.

Footage shows the athlete surrounded by police officers and he could be seen holding his passport while talking to colleagues.

However, the former Barcelona and PSG player had his Spanish passport which requires a visa to be obtained in advance from the Chinese Embassy of his resident country.

Local media reported that as Messi could travel to Taiwan visa-free using his Spanish passport, he believed that it was also valid for China, and was reportedly quoted as saying: 'Is Taiwan not China?'

The citizens of Spain do not have visa-exempt entry to Communist China, but they can enter Taiwan at the airport without a visa.

Border guards were also reportedly confused by Messi not having his Argentinian passport, which he had left at home. Language barrier problems also added to the chaos.

It was reported that Messia was delayed for two hours before finally being granted an expedited visa and let through when the problem was resolved.

It was Messi's seventh personal visit to China. Among his six previous trips to China, there was the 2008 Beijing Olympic football final. At that time, Messi was only 21 years old and helped the Argentine men's football team win the Olympic gold medal.

The Argentina national team is set to play against Australia in a friendly match on Thursday, June 15, before then travelling to face Indonesia at home on June 19.

Messi is then reported to be taking a break before joining his new club Inter Miami in July.