Global football icon Lionel Messi has finished his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, in the wake of a chaotic opening in Kolkata.
On Monday, thousands of fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentinian and Inter Miami attacker.
As Messi, alongside Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – kicking balls into the stands, playing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd chanted his name.
His plane from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media stated, and his agenda had to be cut down. On Saturday, angry fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his appearance there.
Messi had a busy schedule in India, taking part in a string of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the wee hours of Saturday.
Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a 21-meter statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the eastern city.
The tour, however, started with a troubled start after frustrated fans ripped up 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 a multitude of adoring supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event.
However, many were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was enveloped by officials and celebrities on his quick walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation grew violent.
"Poor management of a hyped-up event, poor coordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – not allowed even a sight of Messi – "expressed their fury by resorting to violence."
The disturbance, which captured 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 event organiser in Kolkata has been detained, police said, and a city court has sent Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody.
Messi's appearances in Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans sharing their delight at seeing the global icon online and in press interactions.
Messi also had meetings with several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
In between these engagements, Messi could be seen greeting large fan assemblies in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children.
There were rumors earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister left the country on Monday morning on a scheduled visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.
Messi's appeal comes not only from his long international career and extensive TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the emotional connection that millions of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.
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