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Football legend Lionel Messi on Tuesday departed from Jamnagar after visiting Vantara, the wildlife rescue and conservation centre, where the Argentine footballer was hosted by Anant Ambani.
Jamnagar marked the final stop of Messi's GOAT India Tour 2025, which saw the Argentine footballer visit four Indian cities--Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi. Delhi hosted the grand finale of the Argentine footballer's India tour, bringing the historic four-city tour to a smooth, successful close amid immense fan enthusiasm. Messi, alongside Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, arrived in the national capital on December 15, following successful engagements in Mumbai, and the Delhi leg culminated the tour. The on-field programme at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium featured a celebrity football match between the Minerva Messi All Stars and the Celebrity Messi All Stars. Following the game, Lionel Messi stepped onto the field for a brief interaction with players from both teams. He later spent a few moments with young footballers, exchanging passes with Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, providing a memorable experience for the aspiring talents. The event culminated in a stage ceremony attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other dignitaries, including Jay Shah, Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC); Rohan Jaitley, President of the Delhi and District Cricket Association; and former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia. During the ceremony, Jay Shah presented specially curated Indian cricket jerseys to Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, followed by the presentation of a commemorative cricket bat signed by legendary Indian cricketers to Messi. During Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the Argentine football icon graced Wankhede Stadium as part of his GOAT India Tour 2025. Messi, along with Suarez and De Paul, met Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri and the cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar. Messi's second pit stop during the GOAT India Tour 2025 was Hyderabad. Fans who gathered at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium got to witness Argentina's FIFA World Cup-winning icon Messi in action, where he took part in a 7-on-7 exhibition football match involving the state's Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, soaked in the love from a passionate and loud audience and also met the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Messi's Kolkata appearance, the first stop of the GOAT Tour 2025, ended in chaos. What was meant to be a celebration of the World Cup-winning superstar with a football-loving state turned chaotic as VIPs and politicians on the pitch allegedly sparked fan frustration, with many attendees claiming they could hardly see the footballer they had paid to watch. (ANI)
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