Smooth Finish to Messi's India Tour After Kolkata Chaos

Global football icon Lionel Messi has wrapped up his multi-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, following a disorderly opening in Kolkata.

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

As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami team-mates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, walked onto the pitch – sending balls into the stands, playing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd chanted his name.

His aircraft from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media indicated, and his schedule had to be trimmed. On Saturday, frustrated fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they didn't get to see him during his visit there.

A Packed Schedule Spanning Multiple Cities

Messi had a packed schedule in India, taking part in a string of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the pre-dawn of Saturday.

Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he virtually revealed a 21-meter statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India.

Disastrous Beginning in Soccer-Mad Kolkata

The tour, however, got off to a chaotic start after angry fans ripped up seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium.

Football is extremely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and countless adoring supporters had forked out up to 12,000 rupees to witness the event.

However, many 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 turned hostile.

"Faulty planning of a hyped-up event, poor coordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – denied even a glimpse of Messi – "released their frustration by resorting to violence."

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

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

Successful Visits in Other Cities

Messi's visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the international legend online and in press interactions.

Messi also had meetings with 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 assemblies in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children.

There were speculation earlier that Messi would have a meeting with Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a scheduled visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Reason of His Great Popularity in India

Messi's appeal comes not only from his long international career and extensive TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that millions of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.