Smooth End to Messi's India Tour In the Wake of Kolkata Chaos

Football superstar Lionel Messi has wrapped up his multi-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, in the wake of a disorderly opening in Kolkata.

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

As Messi, alongside Inter Miami team-mates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, entered the pitch – kicking balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd chanted his name.

His plane from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media reported, and his schedule had to be trimmed. On Saturday, disappointed fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there.

A Busy Schedule Spanning Multiple Cities

Messi had a busy schedule in India, participating in a string of brand events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since arriving in the pre-dawn of Saturday.

Before making his way to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he digitally revealed a massive statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India.

Disastrous Start in Football-Crazy Kolkata

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

Football is extremely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and countless ardent supporters had forked out up to 12,000 rupees to witness 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.

"Poor management of a highly anticipated event, lack of co-ordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – not allowed even a sight of Messi – "expressed their fury by indulging in violence."

The disturbance, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been called 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 went off without a hitch, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the global icon on social media and in media interviews.

Messi also encountered several politicians and celebrities – Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

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

There were reports earlier that Messi would have a meeting with Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Source of His Great Fame in India

Messi's fame is due to more than his long international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the highest goal-getter for Barcelona – but also the emotional connection that a huge number of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.