Lionel Messi concluded his three-day India tour in Delhi on Monday, December 15 after a hectic start in Kolkata.
Despite dangerous air pollution, thousands of fans gathered to see the football superstar as he completed a celebratory lap of honour.
Messi, wearing a pink jersey and black trousers greeted chanting supporters at a nearly full Arun Jaitley Stadium.
“It was beautiful to receive all the love and support. I knew it was there, but to receive it first-hand was, well, amazing,” Messi told the crowd in Spanish.
The 38-year-old Argentine star delighted the crowd by kicking footballs to fans and taking selfies with excited attendees.
He and his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul also played football with children and received a T20 World Cup tickets and an Indian jersey from the ICC chairman Jay Shah.
Messi’s last day in India fortunately went smoothly after a chaotic opening day on Saturday, when frustrated fans who had eagerly waited and even paid up to £100 ($133) to see their football idol vandalised a stadium after he was briefly visible and largely blocked by officials and celebrities.
Messi's "GOAT tour," kicked off with the unveiling of a 70-foot statue in Kolkata which took 27 days to built with a team of 45 people in Kolkata.
During his tour, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner met several politicians and celebrities including actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff, Kareen Kapoor, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
