Lionel Messi, along with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, spent a memorable hour on the pitch at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday evening, thrilling thousands of fans.
The trio joined Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for a friendly kickabout and also interacted with young footballers. They later met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, after which Messi was formally felicitated.
Before leaving the stadium, Messi, Suárez and De Paul shared a special message for the Hyderabad crowd, thanking them for their overwhelming love and warmth.
The Hyderabad leg of the G.O.A.T. India Tour ended on a high — a sharp contrast to the chaotic scenes earlier in Kolkata on Saturday morning.
The Kolkata event, held at Yuva Bharati Krirangan, descended into disorder after fans who had paid hefty ticket prices failed to catch even a glimpse of Messi.
Angry attendees began throwing bottles and chairs and attempted to break open gates, forcing security to rush Messi out of the venue. The main organiser, Satadru Dutta, was later arrested.
Speaking in Hyderabad, Messi said, “I want to thank you for the love I’ve received today and always. It’s an honour for us to be here and share these days with you. Thank you so much for your affection.”
Welcoming him warmly, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy told the crowd, “Messi, welcome to Telangana! Telangana is rising — come join the rise.”
Messi then addressed the fans, marking a positive and electrifying end to the Hyderabad event.
