GOAT India Tour: Lionel Messi arrives in Hyderabad; Telangana CM welcomes star footballer

NEW DELHI: Argentine footballer Lionel Messi reached Hyderabad on Saturday evening for the second leg of his GOAT India Tour 2025, following a disrupted event earlier in the day in Kolkata.

The Hyderabad programme is set to begin with an exhibition match at 7.50 pm. Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to enter the field next, followed by Messi and his Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez.

Earlier, nearly 50,000 spectators at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, many of whom paid between Rs 4,000 and Rs 12,000 — and in some cases up to Rs 20,000 in the black market — were left upset as politicians, VVIPs, security staff and others gathered around Messi. Many appeared focused on taking selfies, while fans in the stands struggled to get a clear view. The situation escalated when some spectators threw bottles, which are not permitted inside sports venues. Questions were raised over how such items, along with food packets, were allowed into the stadium. Chairs were later pulled out and thrown. Fibreglass seats were found damaged across the field and the synthetic track.