He unveiled a statue of himself and met Indian sporting greats, but events in Kolkata meant the GOAT tour was soured for some

Fresh off Inter Miami's MLS Cup win, Lionel Messi was back to work for a series of events branded as Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025.

From crowd violence on day one to meeting cricket royalty and kickabouts with kids - what happened on Lionel Messi's GOAT Tour of India.

Footage from India's ANI news agency showed hundreds of fans invading the pitch, vandalising the stands and goal nets at the 85,000 stadium.

Angry fans ripped up seats at Kolkata's Salt Lake stadium as the Argentine soccer star appeared to cut short an appearance after just 20 minutes.

The start of Lionel Messi’s India tour turned chaotic on Saturday, December 13, as fans ripped up seats, threw bottles, and broke onto the pitch of a stadium in Kolkata after the star appeared for only a few minutes.

A short clip from a recent Major League Soccer (MLS) match has fans buzzing. Lionel Messi was heard speaking English during a light exchange with a referee. The moment, recorded through the league’s referee body camera system and shared by popular football page 433 on X (formerly known as Twitter),

Messi's India tour had a chaotic start after angry fans in Kolkata damaged a stadium after failing to catch a glimpse of him.

A video from the visit is now gaining traction on Instagram, capturing a light hearted moment outside an elephant enclosure. The clip shows Messi kicking a football inside the enclosure as a baby elephant named Maneklal gently nudges the ball back with its leg, drawing smiles from those present.