Smooth Finish to Lionel Messi's Visit to India Following Disorder in Kolkata

Football superstar Lionel Messi has finished his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, after a turbulent opening in Kolkata.

On Monday, a multitude of fans assembled in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentina and Inter Miami striker.

As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, entered the pitch – sending balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd roared his name.

His plane from Mumbai had been delayed due to fog, local media indicated, and his schedule had to be shortened. On Saturday, angry fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his visit there.

A Busy Agenda Across Multiple Cities

Messi had a hectic schedule in India, taking part in a series of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the early hours of Saturday.

Before making his way to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a massive statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the eastern city.

Disastrous Beginning in Football-Crazy Kolkata

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

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

However, most of them failed to see him as he was accompanied by officials and celebrities on his short walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation grew violent.

"Faulty planning of a hyped-up event, poor coordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "expressed their fury by indulging in violence."

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

The event organiser in Kolkata has been taken into custody, police said, and a city court has sent Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody.

Successful Engagements in Hyderabad and Mumbai

Messi's visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans sharing their delight at seeing the international legend on social media and in press interactions.

Messi also met several political figures and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

In between these meetings, Messi could be seen waving to large fan crowds in stadiums and playing football 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 Source of His Great Popularity in India

Messi's fame comes not only from his long international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that millions of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.