🔗 Share this article Peaceful Finish to Lionel Messi's Visit to India In the Wake of Disorder in Kolkata Messi finished his India tour with an event at a sports arena in Delhi on Monday. Football superstar Lionel Messi has finished his multi-day India tour in smog-filled Delhi, following a chaotic opening in Kolkata. On Monday, thousands of fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentinian and Inter Miami attacker. As Messi, alongside Inter Miami teammates 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 chanted his name. His plane from Mumbai had been delayed due to fog, reports stated, and his itinerary had to be trimmed. On Saturday, frustrated fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there. A Packed Agenda Spanning Several Metropolises Messi had a busy schedule in India, taking part in a succession of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the wee hours of Saturday. Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely unveiled a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India. Chaotic Kickoff in Football-Loving Kolkata An admirer holds a shirt of Messi at the gathering in Delhi. The tour, however, began with a troubled start after angry fans destroyed seats and threw 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 were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his short walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation became tense. "Poor management of a highly anticipated event, lack of co-ordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "battlefield", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "released their frustration by resorting to violence." The unrest, which captured international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody. Successful Events in Hyderabad and Mumbai Messi kicked a ball with kids at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the international legend on social media and in media interviews. Messi also encountered 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 met Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these engagements, Messi could be seen waving to large fan crowds in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children. There were speculation earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a planned visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Reason of His Great Fame in India Messi's fame is due to more than his long international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that a huge number of Indians have with what is often called the beautiful game.
Messi finished his India tour with an event at a sports arena in Delhi on Monday. Football superstar Lionel Messi has finished his multi-day India tour in smog-filled Delhi, following a chaotic opening in Kolkata. On Monday, thousands of fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentinian and Inter Miami attacker. As Messi, alongside Inter Miami teammates 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 chanted his name. His plane from Mumbai had been delayed due to fog, reports stated, and his itinerary had to be trimmed. On Saturday, frustrated fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there. A Packed Agenda Spanning Several Metropolises Messi had a busy schedule in India, taking part in a succession of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the wee hours of Saturday. Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely unveiled a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India. Chaotic Kickoff in Football-Loving Kolkata An admirer holds a shirt of Messi at the gathering in Delhi. The tour, however, began with a troubled start after angry fans destroyed seats and threw 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 were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his short walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation became tense. "Poor management of a highly anticipated event, lack of co-ordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "battlefield", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "released their frustration by resorting to violence." The unrest, which captured international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody. Successful Events in Hyderabad and Mumbai Messi kicked a ball with kids at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the international legend on social media and in media interviews. Messi also encountered 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 met Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these engagements, Messi could be seen waving to large fan crowds in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children. There were speculation earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a planned visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Reason of His Great Fame in India Messi's fame is due to more than his long international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that a huge number of Indians have with what is often called the beautiful game.