Football icon Lionel Messi has завершed his three-day tour of India with a smooth finale in smog-hit Delhi, following scenes of chaos that marred the opening leg of his visit in Kolkata.
Thousands of fans gathered at a stadium in the capital on Monday to catch a glimpse of the Argentina and Inter Miami star. Joined by teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, Messi walked onto the pitch, kicked footballs into the stands, played brief passes with children and signed autographs as the crowd repeatedly chanted his name.
Local media reported that heavy fog delayed Messi’s flight from Mumbai, forcing organisers to shorten parts of his schedule. The tour’s troubled start came on Saturday in Kolkata, where frustrated fans vandalised a stadium after failing to get a clear view of the footballer during his appearance.
Messi arrived in India early Saturday and followed a packed itinerary across Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai, attending a series of promotional events. In Kolkata, ahead of his visit to Salt Lake Stadium, he virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a team of 45 workers in the eastern city.
The celebrations there quickly turned sour. Football enjoys immense popularity in West Bengal, and thousands of supporters—many of whom paid up to ₹12,000 to attend—were angered when Messi’s brief walk around the stadium kept him largely out of sight. As tensions rose, fans tore up seats and hurled objects towards the pitch.
An editorial in The Telegraph blamed poor planning, weak coordination and security lapses for turning the event into what it described as a “battlefield,” with supporters venting their frustration through violence after being denied even a glimpse of the star.
The unrest, which drew international attention, cast a shadow over Messi’s first visit to India since 2011 as part of what had been billed as a “GOAT” tour. Police later arrested the event organiser in Kolkata, Satadru Dutta, who has been remanded to 14 days in custody.
By contrast, Messi’s subsequent stops in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed without incident, with fans expressing their excitement on social media and in interviews. During the tour, he also met a number of prominent figures, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
Throughout his visit, Messi was seen waving to large crowds in stadiums and sharing moments on the pitch with children. Although there had been reports of a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, the prime minister departed the country on Monday for an official overseas trip.
Messi’s enduring appeal in India reflects not only his record-breaking career—most notably as Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer—but also the deep emotional bond millions of Indians share with football, often celebrated as the beautiful game. (Source: BBC)
