Lionel Messi concludes the three-day GOAT India Tour with a Delhi leg with kids and fans

What started in the shabbiest way in a football-mad city ended in the best way it could, in the most unexpected of locations, as Lionel Messi wrapped up his three-day GOAT India Tour at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Monday with kids and fans and hardly any celebrity presence.

For a city that thrives on power and visibility, Messi’s final stop on the tour was all smiles and little display of VIP culture as the Argentine, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, walked the grounds for about 40 minutes, met trainees from a football academy and kicked the ball with children on two mini pitches laid out on the cricket pitch with a huge poster in the middle.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta entered only at the end, accompanied by ICC President Jay Shah, who presented a ticket for the India-US T20 World Cup match to Messi, a signed bat and India team jerseys with their names and national team numbers to all three. The duo was accompanied by Bhaichung Bhutia and his family and left quietly, keeping the spotlight on the players.

The footballers were expected to leave Mumbai at 9.15 am but were delayed by adverse weather conditions and reached Delhi only around 2.15 pm. The 22,000-strong crowd had no complaints: people had been queuing and waiting since 9am, wearing jerseys from Messi’s clubs, both FC Barcelona and Miami, and cheering his name.

AS IT HAPPENED – Lionel Messi in New Delhi, Day 3 highlights

The trio reached the stadium at 4.30pm after an exclusive paid meet-and-greet at a five-star hotel, before a 30-minute friendly match between Celebrity All Stars and Minerva All Stars was won by the latter 6-0. They bonded with both teams, the academy kids beaming as they met their idols, walking the ground kicking footballs into the stands and acknowledging the fans with only the security cordon and broadcasters around.

They then attended a short clinic with two groups of 15 children each on each field before presenting the trophies to the winners of the practice match. «…we carry all this love with us, and we will definitely come back, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion,» Messi said in a short speech in Spanish before wrapping up.

Published on December 15, 2025