🔗 Share this article Smooth Conclusion to Messi's India Tour Following Kolkata Chaos Messi finished his visit to India with an engagement at a stadium in Delhi on Monday. Soccer legend Lionel Messi has finished his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, in the wake of a chaotic opening in Kolkata. On Monday, a multitude of fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentina and Inter Miami attacker. As Messi, joined by Inter Miami colleagues Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, entered the pitch – sending balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd shouted his name. His aircraft from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media indicated, and his itinerary had to be cut down. On Saturday, frustrated fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they didn't get to see him during his event there. A Packed Agenda Spanning Several Metropolises Messi had a hectic schedule in India, attending a string of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the early hours of Saturday. Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he digitally presented a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the city in eastern India. Disastrous Beginning in Football-Crazy Kolkata An admirer holds a shirt of Messi at the event in Delhi. The tour, however, got off to a chaotic start after frustrated fans destroyed seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is immensely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of ardent supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event. However, the majority were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was enveloped by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation became tense. "Inept organization of a highly anticipated event, poor coordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "battlefield", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "vented their anger by engaging in violence." The unrest, which grabbed international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The event organiser in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has sent Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Successful Events in Other Cities Messi played football with youngsters at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the international legend online and in press interactions. Messi also had meetings with several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. Messi virtually presented a 70ft statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi had a meeting with Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these meetings, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan crowds in stadiums and juggling the ball with groups of children. There were speculation earlier that Messi would have a meeting with Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Reason of Messi's Immense Fame in India Messi's popularity comes not only from his lengthy international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that millions of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.
Messi finished his visit to India with an engagement at a stadium in Delhi on Monday. Soccer legend Lionel Messi has finished his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, in the wake of a chaotic opening in Kolkata. On Monday, a multitude of fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentina and Inter Miami attacker. As Messi, joined by Inter Miami colleagues Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, entered the pitch – sending balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd shouted his name. His aircraft from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media indicated, and his itinerary had to be cut down. On Saturday, frustrated fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they didn't get to see him during his event there. A Packed Agenda Spanning Several Metropolises Messi had a hectic schedule in India, attending a string of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the early hours of Saturday. Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he digitally presented a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the city in eastern India. Disastrous Beginning in Football-Crazy Kolkata An admirer holds a shirt of Messi at the event in Delhi. The tour, however, got off to a chaotic start after frustrated fans destroyed seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is immensely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of ardent supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event. However, the majority were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was enveloped by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation became tense. "Inept organization of a highly anticipated event, poor coordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "battlefield", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "vented their anger by engaging in violence." The unrest, which grabbed international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The event organiser in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has sent Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Successful Events in Other Cities Messi played football with youngsters at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the international legend online and in press interactions. Messi also had meetings with several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. Messi virtually presented a 70ft statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi had a meeting with Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these meetings, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan crowds in stadiums and juggling the ball with groups of children. There were speculation earlier that Messi would have a meeting with Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Reason of Messi's Immense Fame in India Messi's popularity comes not only from his lengthy international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that millions of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.