AFP via Getty ImagesFootball superstar Lionel Messi concluded his three-day tour of India in a pollution-filled Delhi after a chaotic opening in Kolkata.
Thousands of fans gathered at the Delhi Stadium on Monday to watch the Argentina and Inter Miami forward.
Crowds chanted Messi’s name as he walked around the pitch with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, kicking a ball into the stands, passing to a group of children and signing autographs.
Local media reported that his flight from Mumbai was delayed due to fog and his travel schedule was cut short. on saturday Angry fans trashed him at the Kolkata Stadium for not being able to meet him during his appearances.
getty images
AFP via Getty ImagesMessi has had a packed schedule in India since arriving in the early hours of Saturday, attending a series of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
Before heading to Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he virtually unveiled a 21-metre-tall statue of himself in the eastern city, assembled over 27 days by a crew of 45 people.
However, the tour got off to a disastrous start with angry fans tearing up stadium seats and throwing objects towards the pitch.
Soccer is hugely popular in the state of West Bengal, of which Kolkata is the capital, and thousands of die-hard supporters have paid up to 12,000 rupees (£100, $133) to attend the event.
However, while he was briefly strolling around the stadium, he was surrounded by officials and celebrities, most of whom did not see him and quickly left when the situation turned hostile.
Kolkata’s The Telegraph newspaper said in an editorial that “poor management of the much-hyped event, lack of coordination” and security issues had turned the stadium into a “battlefield”. The fans, who had never seen Messi before, “went into violence and erupted in anger.”
The uproar, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi’s first visit to India since 2011 on what was dubbed the ‘GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Tour’.
Police arrested the event organizer in Kolkata and a city court said it had ordered Satadru Dutta to be detained for 14 days.
Messi’s visit to Hyderabad and Mumbai went smoothly as fans shared their joy at seeing the global icon online and through media interviews.
Anadolu via Getty Images
getty imagesMessi also met several politicians and celebrities, including Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata (at his hotel before the stadium fiasco), opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
In between these interactions, Messi could be seen waving to the large crowd of fans gathered in the stadium and dribbling a ball with a group of children.
There were earlier reports that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister left the country on Monday morning as scheduled to visit Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman.
Messi’s popularity is due not only to his long international career and extensive TV coverage of European football (he is the leading scorer for Barcelona, the team he played for), but also to the emotional connection millions of Indians have with what is often called the beautiful game.
Follow BBC News India Instagram, youtube, twitter and Facebook.
