Lionel Messi India tour: Messi thanks Hyderabad fans

After being handed a token of appreciation by Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Messi gifts his Argentina jersey to Rahul Gandhi. After posing for photos, the dignitaries head out of the field as the event comes to an end. Next stop is Mumbai

Messi takes over the mic, thanks Hyderabad fans for all the love and affection. He says he is very happy to be in the city! And the crowd goes berserk!

RR9 are the winners of the GOAT cup and the trophy is handed over to them by none other than the legend Messi himself

Messi, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and others take a lap of the stadium as the Argentine legend waves to the fans and acknowledges them. Messi is also seen obliging to young fans and autographing footballs for them.

VIDEO | Maharashtra: The Worli Sea Link was illuminated with a portrait of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi as he is set to arrive in Mumbai on Sunday.

(Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/hwi4jnTcei

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 13, 2025

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are giving the Hyderabad fans what they want as they take turns to kick footballs into the crowd. And the fans are absolutely delighted!

VIDEO | Hyderabad: Argentine football icon Lionel Messi entertains fans at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, playfully kicking the ball to the crowd gathered in the stadium.

(Source: Third Party)#MessiInIndia #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/AE5kd5YWhw

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 13, 2025

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy takes the field as a substitute and scores a goal almost instantly.

VIDEO | Hyderabad: Argentine football icon Lionel Messi graces the field at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium and plays football with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy.

(Source: Third Party)#MessiInIndia #Hyderabad #Telangana pic.twitter.com/O4DZ0OcIhC

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 13, 2025

Laser show for Messi fans

Scintillating laser show #Messi𓃵

HYDERABAD : pic.twitter.com/oHBv3bZmd5

— Telugu360 (@Telugu360) December 13, 2025

A match between RR9 vs Aparna All Stars has started.

• Delhi - Starting from Rs 7,670
• Mumbai - Starting from Rs 7080

All tickets available on District app

December 14 – Mumbai

3:30 pm: Padel Cup appearance at CCI
4 pm: Celebrity football match
5 pm: Event at Wankhede + charity fashion show

December 15 – New Delhi

Meeting with PM Narendra Modi
1:30 pm: Event at Arun Jaitley Stadium; felicitation of Minerva Academy players

VIDEO | Former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, on Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s India tour, says, "I think it was a very good visit, but unfortunately things did not go according to plan. I think the organisers were under huge pressure. What we saw and heard was… pic.twitter.com/sMOx7J7CDJ

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 13, 2025

Chaos at Lionel Messi's event in Kolkata | West Bengal LoP and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari writes to State's Governor CV Ananda Bose requesting him to order the constitution of a "truly independent enquiry committee, headed by a sitting Judge of the Calcutta High Court, assisted by… pic.twitter.com/iI1GRi383t

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025

VIDEO | Hyderabad: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) welcomes Argentine footballer Lionel Messi at Falaknuma Palace.

(Source: Third Party)

(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/3kLQKnhoWT

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 13, 2025

The G.O.A.T Is here 🐐

Watch Messi's GOAT India Tour - Streaming LIVE on Sony LIV 🍿

Up next - Hyderabad at 7 PM 📲📺 pic.twitter.com/Wqd97OD5DX

— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) December 13, 2025

#WATCH | Maharashtra | Graffiti featuring Star Footballer Lionel Messi unveiled in Mumbai. The Star Footballer is in India for his G.O.A.T India Tour 2025 and will be coming to Mumbai on December 14th. pic.twitter.com/aPC1Sr4Msw

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025

Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma have arrived in Mumbai and were snapped by the paps at the airport. Now, fans can't help but wonder if the batting maestro is in India to meet Lionel Messi!

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Virat Kohli is set to meet Lionel Messi tomorrow in India. pic.twitter.com/hv2fB0FoDu

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) December 13, 2025

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday expressed concerns after the much-anticipated Lionel Messi event in Kolkata was marred by chaos due to poor crowd management and security lapses, as per news agency PTI

"The All India Football Federation is deeply concerned by the events that transpired at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, where thousands of fans gathered to witness world football stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Rodrigo de Paul," the body said in a statement.

Visuals show the aftermath of the chaos that broke out at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata after Lionel Messi's 20-minute visit. Fans had resorted to throwing water bottles on the field, vandalizing stadium property and also throwing chairs at security personnel at the venue. The organiser has been detained and the police have claimed that the fans will get their refund.

#WATCH | West Bengal | Visuals from outside the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where earlier today, angry fans of star footballer Lionel Messi vandalised the stadium, alleging poor management of the event. pic.twitter.com/oQL4gx6OJ5

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: A fan of star footballer Lionel Messi, Abhishek says, "I am from Maharashtra. I came here to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi. It is very great of him to come to India...I have been a supporter of Lionel Messi since childhood. It is a dream-come-true… pic.twitter.com/s9vsOHqRcC

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025

THis had happened earlier - GOAT with SRK

biggest bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan with Lionel Messi 🐐🇮🇳🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/E5Is1Z4iDX

— MC (@CrewsMat10) December 13, 2025

Refunds assured to the fans, but should this be tolerated? It is a shame that foreign stars have to go through all this.

What does one say about this?

#Watch: Scenes from Saltlake Stadium today. #Messi #Messi𓃵 #MessiInKolkata pic.twitter.com/rdVIwZDJok

— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) December 13, 2025

The Messi tour has not started on a great note, but maybe normalcy will be restored and the rest of the tour in other three cities will go smoothly. It will be a learning for the other three venues as well

Kolkata, West Bengal: BJP MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato says, “It is very unfortunate. Nothing was managed properly in West Bengal. The administration failed to maintain order, which led to this chaos. People from not only all over West Bengal but also from outside the state had come… pic.twitter.com/aZb71knwHo

— IANS (@ians_india) December 13, 2025

“We have already detained the main organiser. And we will make sure the tickets are refunded to fans,” West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar.

After his brief 20-minute appearance at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, Lionel Messi has already departed for Hyderabad. He will have a five-minute exhibition appearance at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium with CM Revanth Reddy. The GOAT is also scheduled to meet LoP Rahul Gandhi in the city.

Watch again, what had exactly happened

Kolkata, West Bengal: Angry fans vandalise the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, alleging poor management of the event

A fan of star footballer Lionel Messi said, "Absolutely terrible event. He came for just 10 minutes. All the leaders and ministers surrounded him. We couldn't see… pic.twitter.com/a3RsbEFmTi

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025

Should the fans be blamed for what has transpired on the staidum today? Or is it the organisers? It is such a pity that such a mess was created. Not a great advertisement for future events in the country.

You don't want to be in Kolkata right now. The entire city is angry on the mismanagement during Messi's visit at the Salt Lake Stadium. In an attempt to protest against the wrongdoing, fans are now treated with Lathicharge. Utter chaos in the City of Joy. 

Lathicharge on fans who were protesting against the mismanagement during Messi’s GOAT tour in Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/GYkaWnbG4G

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 13, 2025

In a new development, Congress and current opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to meet Lionel Messi in his Hyderabad leg, where he arrives anytime in the afternoon today. In Hyderabad, Messi is also supposed to play a friendly against Telangana CM Revanath Reddy, considering no chaos breaks at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium!

Angry fans, who were deprived of a single glimpse of Lionel Messi, has now flocked in large numbers outside the hotel where he is staying alongside the likes of Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez. 

Kolkata, West Bengal: Police personnel use mild force to disperse the crowd that had gathered outside the hotel where star footballer Lionel Messi was staying

Angry fans today vandalised the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, alleging poor management of the event.… pic.twitter.com/HrOWHs3lVb

— La pulga (@Vishnureddiii) December 13, 2025

While fans didn't get to witness a glimpse of Lionel Messi even after spending so much money, there were a huge number of people on the field. Why is that? Minister-in-Charge for Youth Services and Sports in West Bengal, Aroop Biswas, was seen revolving around Messi even when some bodyguards tried to make space for the Argentinian star. Many people tried to hover around Messi, creating chaos. 

"I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi," wrote West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after even she missed meeting Messi on his GOAT tour. 

She promises fans that a special committee will be formed to look into the incident and take up the accountability. 

"I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident. I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members. The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers."

Fans have been scammed! Tickets worth crores of rupees were wasted. Almost 100,000 fans quenched their thirst in order to get a glimpse of Lionel Messi. But the politicians and bureaucrats alongside their families caused chaos and Messi had to leave the stadium without performing anything for fans. The security and setup was awful, and as a result, fans now show their anger. 

Shocking beyond belief to see what’s happened at the Messi event in Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. This is what happens when organisers try to swarm the star attraction with VIPs and friends. People who paid didn’t even catch a glimpse of Messi and just thank god the mess didn’t… pic.twitter.com/gAfcfx1WC6

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) December 13, 2025

Lionel Messi was supposed to play some football. A felicitation ceremony was planned as well. But guess what? Due to utter chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium, fans, who bought the tickets for hefty prices, didn't get to witness anything. 

A fan of star footballer Lionel Messi says, "... Seeing the utter chaos, the management, the authorities, it was absolutely rubbish. All the people you see here love football. We all wanted to see Messi, but it was a total scam. We want our money back... The management was so bad. It is a black day for Kolkata. Kolkata is known for football, and we love football, and we love Argentina, but this experience is absolutely a scam. The ministers were there with their children, and the other people could not see anything... We are very hurt. This is absolutely not done."

Earlier in the day, Lionel Messi's day started with a VIP meet-and-greet between 9:30 and 10:30 AM, where selected guests and dignitaries will get photographs, autographs and brief interactions with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner at a private venue. One major name who had an interaction with Messi was none other than Shah Rukh Khan, who has a crazy fan following across the globe. The stars truly aligned ⭐

Lionel Messi, who was set to enthral more than 85,000 fans at the Salt Lake Stadium, left the ground within 22 minutes. Apparently, the security on the field weren't able to control fans as Messi was hovered and circled by hundreds of people. As a result, Messi's team called off the event and quickly moved to safety. 
This left fans at the stadium in Kolkata utterly disappointed, with some of them pelting chairs and hoarding to show their anger. One fan even claimed that there was no point of calling fans as they couldn't get a glimpse of the star footballer. 

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Angry fans threw bottles and chairs from the stands at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium

Star footballer Lionel Messi has left the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/mcxi6YROyr

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025

People in India may worship cricket but the popularity of football isn't a step behind, with the entire nation on its feet during Lionel Messi's arrival. The Argentina legend has returned to India after 14 years and an entire tour beckons, covering four metro cities and meeting with huge names.