Smooth Finish to Lionel Messi's India Tour Following Kolkata Chaos

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

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

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

His aircraft from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, reports stated, and his agenda had to be cut down. On Saturday, frustrated fans damaged a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his visit there.

A Busy Agenda Across Several Metropolises

Messi had a hectic schedule in India, taking part in a string of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the wee hours of Saturday.

Before making his way to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a 21-meter statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the eastern city.

Chaotic Beginning in Football-Crazy Kolkata

The tour, however, got off to a troubled start after frustrated fans tore 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 thousands of ardent supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event.

However, most of them were unable to catch a glimpse of 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, disorganization" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "released their frustration by resorting to violence."

The unrest, which made 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 taken into custody, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody.

Smooth Visits in Other Cities

Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai concluded peacefully, with fans sharing their delight at seeing the global icon online and in press interactions.

Messi also had meetings with several political figures and celebrities – Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

In between these engagements, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan crowds in stadiums and playing football with groups of children.

There were speculation 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 Source of His Great Popularity in India

Messi's fame comes not only from his long international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the highest goal-getter for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that millions of Indians have with what is often called the beautiful game.