Peaceful End to Lionel Messi's Visit to India Following Unrest in Kolkata

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

On Monday, thousands of fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to catch a sight of the Argentina and Inter Miami striker.

As Messi, alongside Inter Miami colleagues Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, entered the pitch – kicking balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd roared his name.

His aircraft from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, sources indicated, and his schedule had to be shortened. On Saturday, angry fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his event there.

An Intense Schedule Across Several Metropolises

Messi had a packed schedule in India, participating in a string of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the pre-dawn of Saturday.

Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he digitally presented a massive statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the city in eastern India.

Chaotic Start in Soccer-Mad Kolkata

The tour, however, got off to a chaotic start after frustrated fans tore seats and threw items towards the pitch at the stadium.

Football is immensely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of devoted supporters had spent up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event.

However, most of them didn't even get to see him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his short walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation grew violent.

"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 – "expressed their fury by resorting to violence."

The disturbance, which made international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.

The promoter in Kolkata has been taken into custody, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody.

Successful Engagements in Hyderabad and Mumbai

Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the international legend online and in media interviews.

Messi also had meetings with several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

In between these meetings, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan crowds in stadiums and juggling the ball with groups of children.

There were rumors earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister left the country on Monday morning on a scheduled visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Source of Messi's Vast Fame in India

Messi's fame is due to more than his lengthy international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that a huge number of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.