Smooth Finish to Messi's India Tour Following Unrest in Kolkata

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

On Monday, thousands of fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentina and Inter Miami forward.

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

His flight from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media reported, and his schedule had to be trimmed. On Saturday, frustrated fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his event there.

A Packed Schedule Spanning Multiple Cities

Messi had a busy schedule in India, participating in a series of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the early hours of Saturday.

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

Disastrous Beginning in Soccer-Mad Kolkata

The tour, however, started with a troubled start after angry fans tore 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 adoring supporters had forked out up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event.

However, many failed to see him as he was enveloped by officials and celebrities on his quick walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation turned hostile.

"Inept organization of a highly anticipated event, lack of co-ordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – not allowed even a sight of Messi – "vented their anger by engaging in violence."

The unrest, which captured international headlines, marred 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 remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody.

Smooth Events in Hyderabad and Mumbai

Messi's visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the global icon on social media and in media interviews.

Messi also had meetings with several politicians 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 acknowledging 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 left the country on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Root of His Immense Popularity in India

Messi's popularity comes not only from his prolific international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the deep bond that a huge number of Indians have with what is often called the beautiful game.