Smooth End to Messi's India Tour After Unrest in Kolkata

Soccer legend Lionel Messi has concluded his three-day India tour in hazy Delhi, following a turbulent opening in Kolkata.

On Monday, thousands of fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentina and Inter Miami forward.

As Messi, alongside Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd shouted his name.

His plane from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media stated, and his schedule had to be trimmed. On Saturday, disappointed fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they didn't get to see him during his event there.

A Busy Schedule Across Several Metropolises

Messi had a packed schedule in India, participating in a succession of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the early hours of Saturday.

Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he virtually unveiled a massive statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a large crew in the city in eastern India.

Chaotic Beginning in Football-Crazy Kolkata

The tour, however, began with a disastrous start after angry fans ripped up seats and threw items towards the pitch at the stadium.

Football is immensely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and a multitude of ardent supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event.

However, the majority were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his quick walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation became tense.

"Inept organization of a hyped-up event, lack of co-ordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "released their frustration by engaging in violence."

The ruckus, which grabbed international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been called a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.

The organizer in Kolkata has been detained, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody.

Peaceful Engagements in Hyderabad and Mumbai

Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai concluded peacefully, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the global icon on social media and in media interviews.

Messi also had meetings with several political figures and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

In between these meetings, Messi could be seen greeting large fan gatherings in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children.

There were reports earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister traveled abroad on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Root of Messi's Immense Fame in India

Messi's appeal is due to more than his prolific international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that a huge number of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.