‘Gracias Delhi! Hasta pronto’: Lionel Messi concludes India Tour

young new delhi: A 90-minute hold up, a lasting smoky haze and an AQI upwards of 450 did small to dim the enthusiasm of a 25,000-strong crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as football’s global superstar Lionel Messi descended on the national capital to wind up his whirlwind three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour on Monday.

On a day that saw the city gasping under severe pollution that threw air traffic completely out of gear, Messi’s chartered flight from Mumbai landed after a significant delay, pushing the event behind schedule by 90 minutes. Unperturbed, the crowd began to pour in as soon as the stadium gates were thrown open at 11:30 am, and within an hour, the ground was brimming with people dressed in Albiceleste’s blue and white striped jerseys bearing the number 10.

The exorbitant ticket prices were barely a deterrent either with fans coughing up anywhere between ₹5000 to ₹22000 to get a seat. All the 1,000 seats in the marquee section, each costing ₹85,000, were sold out as well, underscoring the craze for the 38-year-old.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner along with his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul landed in Delhi at around 2:30pm — he was scheduled to land at around 10:45am — and went straight to his hotel for a scheduled Meet and Greet session.

He reached the ground at around 4:20 pm, just when a thick, smoggy dusk was beginning to wrap the ground, to a thunderous applause and deafening chants. Clad in a pink jersey and black trousers with Suarez and De Paul in tow, the diminutive icon proceeded to meet players from Minerva Messi All Stars and Celebrity Messi All Stars who had earlier played a 7-a-side exhibition match. He then turned his focus on the doting fans who had lined up for about five hours to catch a glimpse of their hero. Smiling and waving at them, the man known to conjure magic on the pitch kicked footballs deep in the stands while taking a leisurely lap of the cricket ground.

His presence having lifted the spirits of those present, the stadium reverberated with his name — never mind if they were themed on the ubiquitous “Sachin, Sachin” chant. A giant banner with ‘Visca el Barca’, meaning Long Live Barca, greeted him at the Mohinder Amarnath Stand and the footballer obliged by curling in a high pass into the delirious top tier.

The lap ended with Messi being guided to the centre where a makeshift stage had been erected. A replica of the FIFA World Cup lay waiting as well; Messi will have eyes on the real prize next year when he may lead Argentina’s title defence.

The 40-minute appearance ended with Messi, Suarez and De Paul being joined by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, ICC Chairman Jay Shah, DDCA President Rohan Jaitley and former Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia on the stage. Gupta was booed by the crowd that also shouted “AQI, AQI” upon her arrival.

Shah presented Messi with an Indian cricket team jersey bearing the No. 10. Suarez received a No. 9 jersey, while De Paul was handed the No. 7 shirt.

As confetti came down on him, Messi ended the tour with a short address to the crowd in Spanish. “Well, I just want to thank everyone for the love and affection during these days in India. In fact, it was a truly beautiful experience for us to be able to share it,” he said.

“And although it was short and intense, it was wonderful to receive all this love that I knew existed, but receiving it directly was amazing. It was a crazy experience, everything they did for us these days. So, we carry all this love with us, and we will definitely return, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India. Thank you very much,” he concluded.

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