NEW DELHI: Argentinian footballing legend Lionel Messi spent an hour at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium during his GOAT India Tour 2025, engaging with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, footballers, film stars, celebrities, and politicians.Unlike his brief appearance in Kolkata that led to fan protests and a judicial inquiry, Messi’s Mumbai visit left the crowd satisfied. The hour-long engagement marked a significant improvement from his previous appearances.
Mumbai served as the third destination of his GOAT India Tour 2025, following shorter visits to Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium and Uppal’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.During the event, Messi conversed with Tendulkar through a translator. Tendulkar presented him with a signed India jersey, highlighting their shared number 10. Tendulkar addressed the gathering in Marathi and English, expressing that his meeting with Messi would be among his memorable moments at Wankhede.The crowd showed their enthusiasm by chanting Messi’s name along with Tendulkar and Luis Suarez, who accompanied Messi with Rodrigo on the tour. Fans also called for FC Barcelona to visit Mumbai.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched Project Maha-deva at the event, with actor Tiger Shroff as mentor and brand ambassador. The project aims to support school-going players from Maharashtra in pursuing their football dreams. The government has selected 16 players for the initial phase.Messi arrived at Wankhede Stadium at 5:30 PM, slightly delayed but appeared relaxed and interactive. Before arriving, he participated in a Padel promotion event at the Cricket Club of India with businessman Parth Jindal.He joined midway through a Celebrity Football Match between India XI and Mitra XI, featuring players like Sunil Chettri, Rahul Bheke, Jayesh Rana, Ashutosh Mehta, and women’s football star Bala Devi.The football star greeted both teams and took photographs with them. He then toured the stadium with Suarez and Rodrigo, kicking footballs into the crowd as souvenirs.Messi spent time with school children from the Maha-deva project, engaging in a football session with them.At the makeshift stage, Chief Minister Fadnavis and his wife welcomed Messi, who presented them with a GOAT Tour jersey. He also took photographs with Bollywood actors Tiger Shroff, Ajay Devgn, and Dino Morea.Following his interaction with Tendulkar, Messi departed for other scheduled events in the city. His itinerary included attending a celebrity fashion show where he planned to auction signed jerseys and memorabilia.The Argentine captain’s next destination is Delhi, where he is scheduled to travel on Monday morning.
