🔗 Share this article Calm Finish to Messi's India Tour Following Kolkata Chaos Messi finished his India tour with an engagement at a sports arena in Delhi on Monday. Global football icon Lionel Messi has finished his multi-day India tour in hazy Delhi, in the wake of a disorderly opening in Kolkata. On Monday, thousands of fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentinian and Inter Miami attacker. As Messi, joined by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd roared his name. His plane from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, local media reported, and his agenda had to be cut down. On Saturday, disappointed fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his event there. An Intense Agenda Spanning Multiple Cities Messi had a busy schedule in India, participating in a succession of brand events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since arriving in the pre-dawn of Saturday. Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he digitally revealed a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the eastern city. Disastrous Beginning in Soccer-Mad Kolkata A fan holds a shirt of Messi at the gathering in Delhi. The tour, however, got off to a chaotic start after disappointed fans tore seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is hugely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of ardent supporters had forked out up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event. However, many failed to see him as he was accompanied by officials and celebrities on his short walk around the stadium and then quickly whisked away as the situation turned hostile. "Faulty planning of a hyped-up event, poor coordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "vented their anger by indulging in violence." The unrest, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been dubbed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Peaceful Engagements in Other Cities Messi played football with youngsters at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's appearances in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the world-famous star on social media and in press interactions. Messi also met several political figures and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. Messi remotely presented a 70ft statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi met Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these interactions, Messi could be seen greeting large fan assemblies in stadiums and playing football with groups of children. There were speculation earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister traveled abroad on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Root of His Immense Appeal in India Messi's fame stems not just from his prolific international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the highest goal-getter for Barcelona – but also the emotional connection that millions of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.
Messi finished his India tour with an engagement at a sports arena in Delhi on Monday. Global football icon Lionel Messi has finished his multi-day India tour in hazy Delhi, in the wake of a disorderly opening in Kolkata. On Monday, thousands of fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentinian and Inter Miami attacker. As Messi, joined by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd roared his name. His plane from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, local media reported, and his agenda had to be cut down. On Saturday, disappointed fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his event there. An Intense Agenda Spanning Multiple Cities Messi had a busy schedule in India, participating in a succession of brand events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since arriving in the pre-dawn of Saturday. Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he digitally revealed a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the eastern city. Disastrous Beginning in Soccer-Mad Kolkata A fan holds a shirt of Messi at the gathering in Delhi. The tour, however, got off to a chaotic start after disappointed fans tore seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is hugely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of ardent supporters had forked out up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event. However, many failed to see him as he was accompanied by officials and celebrities on his short walk around the stadium and then quickly whisked away as the situation turned hostile. "Faulty planning of a hyped-up event, poor coordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "vented their anger by indulging in violence." The unrest, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been dubbed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Peaceful Engagements in Other Cities Messi played football with youngsters at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's appearances in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the world-famous star on social media and in press interactions. Messi also met several political figures and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. Messi remotely presented a 70ft statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi met Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these interactions, Messi could be seen greeting large fan assemblies in stadiums and playing football with groups of children. There were speculation earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister traveled abroad on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Root of His Immense Appeal in India Messi's fame stems not just from his prolific international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the highest goal-getter for Barcelona – but also the emotional connection that millions of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.