GOAT India Tour: Jay Shah gifts T20 World Cup tickets, a signed jersey, and a bat to Messi
New Delhi, Dec 15
Argentina football legend Lionel Messi was presented with India vs USA Men's T20 World Cup 2026 tickets by ICC chairman Jay Shah on the last leg of the GOAT India Tour, here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta also attended the event along with DDCA president Rohan Jaitley. Messi was also gifted with a framed cricket bat and a Team India jersey, along with Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez.
Former Indian goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan, who represented West Ham United in the Women's Premier League, gifted a signed t-shirt to all three guests.
Acknowledging the crowd present at the Arun Jaitley Stadium cheering his name, Messi said, “Thank you for all the affection you have shown us here in India over these days. Truly, it was a unique experience for us to be able to share this. Although it was intense and very short, it was wonderful to receive all this love, which I already knew was there, but experiencing it firsthand was incredible. Everything you did for us over these days was astonishing, pure madness. So thank you all for the love, and we will surely return someday — perhaps to play a match or on some other occasion — but we will definitely visit again. Thank you very much, thank you," said Messi.
Messi was scheduled to land in the national capital earlier this morning, but his charter flight was held up due to foggy conditions here. He straightaway proceeded to the Leela Palace Hotel, where he had a meet-and-greet session for around an hour with a select group of people.
Messi's GOAT Tour got off to a rough start as the organisers were unable to manage the Salt Lake Stadium crowd. When the football legend visited the city with Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, thousands of fans flocked to see him. However, the venue's bad management transformed their enthusiasm into frustration.
After arriving in the capital of Telangana, Messi took part in a number of photo ops, including playing a ball with kids and mingling with an official. The Argentine star made a brief appearance on the stadium's big screen and on broadcast visuals during a match between two clubs at Uppal Stadium while staying inside a VIP box and waving at the camera.
The Argentine was in Mumbai last evening, where he interacted with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, some current India and former football players, film stars, celebrities, and politicians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
hs/bsk/
— IANS
Reader Comments
Messi's words were so heartfelt. "Pure madness" is the perfect way to describe Indian fan love! â¤ï¸ It's amazing to see such a legend appreciating our passion. The tour had some hiccups, but his graciousness shines through.
Respectfully, the mismanagement at Salt Lake was embarrassing. We invite a global superstar and then can't handle the crowd? We need to get our act together for such international events. The gifts and meeting with Sachin were great, but first impressions matter.
The cross-sport connection is wonderful. Aditi Chauhan gifting a signed shirt, Messi getting a cricket bat... it shows the unity of sports. Hope this encourages more football development here!
Messi meeting Sachin at Wankhede - that's the real GOAT summit! Two legends from different worlds. These are the moments that make sports so special. Hope he keeps his promise and comes back to play a match.
The image of him playing ball with kids in Hyderabad is so wholesome. 🥹 Despite the chaos and the fog delay, he took time for those moments. That's true class. Our fans gave him unforgettable love, for sure.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.