Lionel Messi GOAT Tour of India Live Updates: Lionel Messi meets Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai, presents No 10 jersey to Argentine icon

And that's it for the Mumbai leg. Messi, Suarez and De Paul leave as the crowd keep chanting the Argentine's name. Next stop: New Delhi for the last leg of the tour.

With both Messi and Sachin on stage, the crowd breaks into the famous Sachin, Sachin chants followed by Messi, Messi. This feels unreal, a moment that will stay frozen in time.

We now move on to the next segment where the announcer says that Sachin Tendulkar will join Messi on stage. And here he is. Two GOATS, 2 sports but one feeling!! He also presents a No. 10 jersey to Messi. This is a photofor the ages!! Messi now presents the World Cup ball to the Indian maestro.

Ajay Devgn is now brought on stage and he shakes hands with Messi, de Paul and Suarez. And we now have a photo op.

And with CM Fadnavis and Tiger Shroff on stage, Messi inaugurates Project Mahadeva. We now are being treated to a video on how the project helps the selected kids.

Those playing the seven-a-side game have been asked to take their seats and Fadnavis now felicitates Messi, Suarez and de Paul.

These are the chants spontaneously going around the ground now and then as Messi, Suarez and De Paul alternate between kicking balls into the ground and having a kickabout with the kids. The kids, for their part, seem to be absolutely loving it, with the three superstars giving them a proper workout. Some nice scenes out there.

Those children are selected through the Project Mahadeva, as reported by The Indian Express earlier. Supported by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, this programme is targeted at under-13 boys and girls in a bid to develop future stars through a structured long-term pathway. Trained scouts spanned the entire state — including remote districts like Yavatmal, Gadchiroli, and Chandrapur — to ensure every talent was tapped. Read more here.

Well Chhetri took a kick, Messi after that. Both of them scored and then there was a big gathering in the middle of all those who took part in the 7-a-side game. A team photo of sorts were taken with Messi, Suarez and De Paul and now, the three players are going around the ground kicking balls into the stands. Suarez even kicked one all the way into the top tier, much to the crowd's delight.

Well, it doesn't really matter which team is going to win and what the aim is of this shoot out really but at the moment, it is all pretty vague. Sunil Chhetri is taking the first kick. Messi should be next. Would be interesting if he did that little passing routine for Suarez to score, as they did a couple of times during their Barcelona days all those years ago.

The eagle has landed! There is Lionel Messi, flanked by Rodrigo de Paul and Lis Suarez. Both Messi and De Paul are in almost identical-looking white shirts and black track pants, Suarez in a black shirt and white cargos. The trio walk out and shake hands with those who were playing the seven-a-side game, with Messi having a few more extra words and a little hug with Chhetri.

A wave of applause goes around the stadium as the arrival of Devendra Fadnavis is announced. And then an even beigger one when cricket great Sachin Tendulkar walks in.

Well we have Sunil Chhetri and Bala Devi are among the big wigs of Indian football out there playing a seven-a-side football match at the moment. One team clad in pink, the other in orange and purple. It's all a little strange at the moment to see these professional football football players in a game that is being broadcast live and well, they are taking it pretty seriously. Messi nowhere to be seen thus far.

Well the Wankhede Stadium seems packed and they are all chanting "Messi! Messi!" This is the place where the "Sachin! Sachin!" chants come from, today we get to hear the chant that has otherwise been heard at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, or wherever it is that Messi is playing. Meanwhile, the man himself has left the Brabourne Stadium.

This is what DCP Nishant Gupta had to tell ANI about arrangements in Delhi ahead of Messi's visit: "The traffic police have designated three parking areas, including P1 near Vikram Nagar. These are the main parking zones for labelled vehicles. Vehicles without labels should be parked at the Rajghat Powerhouse parking lot and Mata Sundari Lane, from where pedestrians can walk to the event. App-based taxi users are also advised to drop off at Rajghat Chowk and walk the rest of the way. Parking is strictly forbidden around Arun Jaitley Stadium; vehicles parked there will be towed and fined. To make things easier, the public is encouraged to use the metro or buses as much as possible to reduce congestion and enjoy the game comfortably."

He adds, "Around 70 of our personnel are deployed as part of a comprehensive security setup. We have not set up many diversions so far, and any will only be introduced if needed. Existing diversions, if implemented, will be from Delhi Gate Chowk and ITO. During VIP movements, traffic may be slightly slowed to ensure the players' buses can arrive and enter the stadium without issues... As public movement will commence around 11:00 am, people should particularly avoid Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, ITO, Delhi Gate, Netaji Subhash Marg, and Brijmohan Chowk from 10:00 am until the event concludes at 5:00 pm."

Apart from the din of the organisers moving about putting up barricades and canopies and other facilities, it is all calm near the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi a day before Lionel Messi makes his final stop of his tour of India in the national capital. The only area of concern would be the air quality in Delhi - a thick blanket continued to cover the city on Saturday, pushing the Capital’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) to 431, in the Severe category. It has prompted authorities to impose the strictest anti-pollution curbs under Graded Response Action Plan Stage 4 (GRAP 4). Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI went up to 457 at 10 pm, as per CPCB data.

Talking about security arrangements in Mumbai for Lionel Messi’s G.O.A.T India Tour, Joint Commissioner of Police Satyanarayan Choudhary tells Press Trust of India, “Adequate deployment has been made at all required locations. Senior police officers are on duty, and traffic diversions have been implemented. As it is a ticketed event, only those with valid tickets should be present at the designated gates. People without tickets should avoid crowding the area and follow police guidelines.”

And we have a Messi sighting in Mumbai! After visiting Kolkata and Hyderabad on the first day of his trip to India, the Argentine legend, accompanied by Luis Suarez and Rodrigo Paul, is in Mumbai for the entire Sunday.

Here are the first visuals of Messi arriving in Mumbai.

After a hectic first day where he and Luis Suarez visited Kolkata and Hyderabad, Lionel Messi will be in Mumbai today, where, among other things, he will have a for a football-and-cricket bat exchange with Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Chhetri.

Visuals from Hyderabad show that he's already left for the airport after last night's kick about with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and meeting Congress' Rahul Gandhi.

After Messi's walk at Uppal and his little sessions of kick arounds ends, he, along with Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, poses for a photo with leader of opposition, Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi and Messi seem to be having a little chat.

So Messi, Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, accompanied by Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, are doing some hybrid version of walking around to wave to the fans and then stopping to knock the ball around in a circle. This is in stark contrast with Messi's visit to Kolkata, where he stayed at the Salt lake Stadium for just 20 minutes before leaving which led to fans vandalising parts of the stadium.

But in Hyderabad, there are limited people surrounding Messi, so he seems to be much calmer. The organisers at Hyderabad have ensured that the one criticism that Kolkata fans had are not there at the Hyderabad venue.

As fans go wild at the appearance of Messi and seeing him kick around the ball a few times, the Argentine superstar decides to hoof a few balls into the fans as a memento for a few lucky fans.

Lionel Messi, Luiz Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul step onto the pitch for a kick around with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy.

Messi kicks the ball into the net a couple of time. He just cannot resist shooting into the net since there is no goalkeeper.

The Argentina star also shows some fancy footwork as he does a few 'keep uppies'.

Messi makes an appearance flanked by Luis Suarez at the Uppal Stadium as the crowd goes wild at the stadium. Meanwhile, the game is still going on.

Messi is not playing yet. But he does smile and wave at the shouting fans

Despite everything that happened in Kolkata, the love for Hyderabadi fans for Messi continues unabated. Fans have made their way from different states for a glimpse of their idol.

On the incident at Salt Lake Stadium involving the Lionel Messi GOAT Tour, West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas said, "Government has ordered to investigate this matter. An investigation is going on, and I will not comment on anything."

After the chaos encountered at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, where fans had invaded the pitch and vandalised sofas for VIPs, the superstar flew to Hyderabad. But the event in Telangana will be a much better managed event, assured Shiva Sena Reddy, the Chairman of Sports Authority of Telangana.

Reddy assured fans, via an interview with news agency PTI, that Lionel Messi’s Hyderabad appearance will be conducted smoothly.

He told PTI: "Today there will be a small 20-minute friendly game between Messi and CM's XIs. It will be followed by Messi holding a football clinic for young players. I would like to assure that what happened in Kolkata earlier in the day will not happen here in Hyderabad, we have enough police force deployed to manage things and a small request to the fans that they should also be calm."

After the chaotic scenes in Kolkata, Messi's next trip is to Hyderabad. Here's what he will do there:

7:50 PM IST – Match kick-off

8:06 PM – Entry of the Hon’ble Chief Minister onto the pitch

8:07 PM – Lionel Messi enters the pitch

8:08 PM – Entry of Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez

8:11 PM – Messi and the Hon’ble Chief Minister dribble the ball

8:13 PM – Penalty shootout (three shots per team) to decide the GOAT Cup

8:15 PM – Group photo with both teams

8:33 PM – Special penalty shootout featuring Messi (organiser as goalkeeper)

8:38 PM – Parade walk around the stadium, with Messi waving to fans

8:48 PM – Guests introduced on stage

8:51 PM – Messi greets organisers and team owners; photo session

8:53 PM – GOAT Cup presentation by Lionel Messi

8:54 PM – Felicitation of Lionel Messi by the Hon’ble Chief Minister

8:55 PM – Felicitation of Luis Suárez

8:56 PM – Felicitation of Rodrigo De Paul

8:57 PM – Event sign-off

8:58 PM – Final remarks by the Hon’ble Chief Minister

8:59 PM – Remarks by Rahul Gandhi

9:00 PM – Exit of all dignitaries from the stadium

9:05 PM – Dispersal announcements

9:10 PM – Final closure of the event

A look at when Lionel Messi met Shah Rukh Khan before the chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata

Here are visuals of what players like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez did during their brief 20-minute stay in the middle of the pitch at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. When Messi left, angry fans threw projectiles on the pitch and then invaded the pitch. But before that, Messi took a walk on the grass while surrounded by a massive crowd of security and VIP guests.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has reacted to the chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium at the Messi event.

"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. This was a private event organised by a PR agency. The AIFF was not involved in the organisation, planning, or execution of this event in any capacity. Furthermore, the details of the event were neither communicated to the AIFF, nor was any clearance sought from the Federation. We urge all attendees to extend their full cooperation with the relevant authorities and to maintain order. The safety and security of all individuals involved must remain the paramount priority," AIFF wrote in a post on its social media handles.

The Salt Lake Stadium saw ugly scenes as fans hurled chairs and other objects like bottles at the pitch. Policemen and other security forces were spotted trying to control the situation while also taking cover from the projectiles thrown into the ground by angry fans after Lionel Messi left the stadium in just 20 minutes.

Messi's next stop on his India GOAT tour was scheduled to be Hyderabad. He will then also visit Mumbai and New Delhi during his short stay in India.

After the ugly scenes at the Lionel Messi event, West Bengal DGP Rajiv Kumar said that the situation in Kolkata was now "normal". He says that they have asked the organiser to give in writing that they will refund all the fans for the tickets that were sold. He also mentioned that the organizer Satadru Dutta had been arrested from the airport.

“The Chief Minister has taken cognisance of the incident. It was sheer mismanagement by the organising committee. The organisers are expected to refund the fans. Meanwhile, I request fans to exercise restraint. We have already detained the organiser,” he told the media in Kolkata.

The chief organiser of the Kolkata leg of his GOAT Tour of Lionel Messi has been arrested, Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order Jawed Shamim says.

"There is normalcy now. The second part is the investigation; the FIR has been lodged, and the chief organiser has been arrested... I'm telling you, they (organisers) are promising that they will return (ticket fee to fans). We will see how it can be done," he is quoted as saying by press agency PTI

Partha Paul, The Indian Express' photographer in Kolkata, has been tracking the Messi on the GOAT tour in Kolkata since morning. He sends these photographs from Salt Lake Stadium.

(ABOVE) Security personnel use broken chairs to take cover from angry fans at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata after Lionel Messi quickly exited the venue. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

(ABOVE) Security personnel chase away angry fans who had invaded the pitch of the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata after Messi's departure. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

(ABOVE) Fans vandalise sofas for VIP guests at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata angry at organisers of the event after Lionel Messi quickly exited the venue. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

West Bengal governor C. V. Ananda Bose has taken to X to slam the police and the authorities besides the organisers of the Kolkata leg of the GOAT tour for the ugly scenes witnessed at the Salt Lake Stadium. He called it a 'dark day for the sports loving people of Kolkata'.

"HG is shocked at the pell-mell due to utter lack of management and planning in ensuring smooth conduct of proceedings at the Salt Lake Stadium surrounding’s Messi’s visit. While the organisers of the event are to be blamed squarely for the situation that unfolded, it is also the police that has failed the Government, the people and the Chief Minister who is also the Home Minister. Due to their inaction this day can be said to be a dark day for the sports loving people of Kolkata.

Bose has issued the following directives to the State Government:

Arrest the organisers of the event.

Refund money to those who purchased the tickets.

Levy charges on the organisers for damage to the stadium and other public places

Judicial enquiry into the entire matter

Suspend police officers who did not take precautions

Henceforth a Standard Operating Procedure should be in place to ensure smooth conduct and proceedings for such large congregations.

RAF should be ready

Insurance scheme for the spectators for which the premium is to be paid by the sponsors and organisers.

Accusations are flying thick and fast in Kolkata after the chaos and unruly scenes at the Salt Lake Stadium after Messi's quick departure.

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar tells news agency PTI, "Such a big international player is going to different parts of the country, but nothing happened anywhere. The incident that happened in West Bengal today shows what the Trinamool has made West Bengal into. The entire program was hijacked by TMC, from TMC's Sujit Bose to Arup Biswas; all the ministers were involved in this. There has been a complete looting of money; tickets worth Rs 5-8 thousand have been sold. Black marketing of tickets happened, there has been corruption in this too..."

The Indian Express' photographer sends this clip of a very small fire at the Salt Lake Stadium after fans invaded the pitch angry at Messi's quick departure. Fans had also pelted the ground with chairs and bottles before descending on the pitch and vandalising the tents built near the pitch.

Partha Paul reports that the crowd tried to set the VIP sofas on fire at the Salt Lake Stadium but it was immediately doused

Reports from Kolkata note that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan didn't even turn up at the stadium. They reportedly turned back midway.

Banerjee, in her post on X apologising to fans and announcing the constitution of an enquiry committee, confirmed this. She mentioned that she was on her way to the stadium when the incident happened.

After Lionel Messi's quick exit from the Salt Lake Stadium, fans have lashed out in anger.

“Very disappointed. Had bought a ticket for Rs 4k but couldn’t see anything. If Messi could have at least walked around the stadium, we could have seen him from the stands. We can’t afford to go anywhere else to watch him,” Sabyasachi Sanki, a fan from Garia, said looking far more disappointed than angry. Around him, other infuriated fans stomped by uttering sentences like, “Waste of time and waste of money.”

After the ugly scenes at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee reacts to the incident and said she has constituted an enquiry committee.

"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. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident," Banerjee wrote on X.

"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."

A young fan tells news agency Press Trust of India: “Everyone was excited today as Messi was coming. It’s my wedding day, but I left all the ceremonies to be here. Still, the management was so pathetic that I couldn’t even see him.”

Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s hasty ecit from the Salt Lake Stadium drew the ire of fans, with attendees alleging they couldn’t catch a glimpse of the star at all as he was surrounded by VIPs and security personnel during his brief foray onto the pitch.

While ordinary fans were left angered by Messi's hasty exit from the Salt Lake Stadium, there were some who managed to get a private audience with the football legend elsewhere.

This included Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, who also co-owns the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. Here's what happened when Messi meet Shah Rukh

The Kolkata leg of Lionel Messi’s much-anticipated GOAT Tour descended into chaos as fans, irate at the mismanagement around the Argentine icon’s appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium, started throwing bottles into the ground and even trying to break gates between stands, reports Sayak Dutta in his report from Kolkata.

The incident happened after Messi left the field after only 20 minutes after arriving at the stadium at 11.30 AM via car.

READ SAYAK DUTTA'S GROUND REPORT FROM KOLKATA

There is plenty of anger in the air in Kolkata as fans have thrown bottles and chairs on the ground at Salt Lake Stadium before finally invading the pitch. Most of these fans paid thousands of rupees to organisers to see Lionel Messi himself. But he came and left within 20 minutes. Even when he was on the ground, he was surrounded by a group of over hundred VIPs.

Scroll to see photographs by The Indian Express' Partha Paul

Another fan in Kolkata tells ANI after being angered by Messi's quick exit from the Saltt Lake Stadium: "It was an absolutely terrible event. He came for just 10 minutes. All the leaders and ministers surrounded him. We couldn't see anything. He didn't take a single kick or a single penalty. They said they would bring Shah Rukh Khan too. They didn't bring anyone. He came for 10 minutes and left. So much money, emotions, and time wasted. We couldn't see anything..."

After his short blink-and-you'll-miss-it stay at the Salt Lake Stadium, fans have been left livid after paying thousands of rupees for this occasion.

Fans have called this a scam.

"There were 500 people surrounding Messi at the ground. Why did they call us then in the stands? I had bought 10 tickets for this occasion. To do what? Are fans in Bengal fools?" one angry fan can be heard telling news agency ANI.

Angry fans have pelted the Salt Lake stadium with all kinds of debris: from chairs to bottles after being left angered by Messi's hasty exit.

As per Sayak Dutta, The Indian Express' reporter on the ground in Kolkata, there are unruly scenes at the ground as fans have been left irate at the fact that Messi has left early. Remember, some of the fans have paid anywhere between Rs 3,800 to Rs 11,800 to get a glimpse of the star.

Uh oh! The Kolkata crowd is resorting to loud jeers and boos as Messi makes his way out from the Salt Lake Stadium after a fleeting appearance. Visible displeasure engulfs the stands as people throw bottles out to the turf.

"People are furious. They are trying to break a gate," pings Sayak.

Sayak Dutta: Messi moves inside the tents and the crowd begins to boo because he did not come towards their stands.

And right on cue, Messi is being taken towards those stands

The Argentine superstar will take part in a meet and greet event where people will have a chance to meet him up close, shake his hand and have a special group photo taken with him. For this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, fans will have to fork out Rs 10 lakhs. READ MORE

Rosario. Miami. Barca. Kolkata. The Messi fever is just the same anywhere in the world. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

A jam-packed Salt Lake roars in jubilation at the sight of the magic man from Rosario. The crowd erupts at the mere sight of Messi waving his arms to the crowd.

Lionel Messi kicks off his GOAT India Tour the Mecca Of Indian football, Kolkata. A surprise awaits him in the football-crazy city, a 70-feet bronze version of himself that he might not recognise. The Indian Express visited the park which houses world’s tallest Messi statue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rzIRb2MCaU&t=5s

The city's outpouring of love for Messi on his second visit to the city was nearly complete with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner unveiling his 70-foot statue.

Sayak Dutta, our man on the ground pings: Messi has arrived at the Salt Lake Stadium.

It has been an eventful morning so far, with a Mohun Bagan Messi All Stars vs Diamond Harbour Messi All Stars friendly game taking place already.