Lionel Messi arrives in Delhi for final leg of GOAT India Tour; traffic curbs, packed schedule in place

Football icon Lionel Messi reached New Delhi on Monday for the final leg of his four-city GOAT India Tour, capping a whirlwind visit that has drawn massive crowds and celebrity attention across the country. Messi is travelling with teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.

 

 

 

The Argentine superstar was earlier expected to land in the national capital at 10:45 am, but his charter flight from Mumbai was delayed due to foggy weather conditions. After hours of anticipation and speculation, later updates confirmed that Messi had arrived in Delhi and checked into the Taj Mahal hotel.

During his brief stay, Messi is scheduled to attend a private meet-and-greet with select VIP guests and corporate clients at the hotel. He is also expected to meet a few parliamentarians and the Chief Justice of India, underscoring the high-profile nature of his visit.

The highlight of the Delhi leg will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where Messi is set to attend a football clinic and participate in a nine-a-side exhibition match. He is also expected to felicitate young players from Minerva Academy at the venue. The tour will conclude with a visit to Purana Qila, where Messi will meet several Indian sporting icons before departing for the airport around 6:45 pm.

Ahead of the event, Delhi Traffic Police issued a detailed advisory, announcing diversions on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg and JLN Marg. Heavy vehicles were barred from Daryaganj to Bahadurshah Zafar Marg and from Guru Nanak Chowk to Asaf Ali Road to manage congestion around the stadium and central Delhi.

Fans began arriving early at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with gates reportedly opening from 11:30 am. While preparations at the venue were in full swing, there was no official confirmation of Messi’s arrival for a period, even as the event’s scheduled start time approached.

 

 

 

 

Messi’s Delhi appearance follows a star-studded third stop in Mumbai on Sunday, where he drew huge crowds at the Wankhede Stadium. During the event, Messi met cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri, and several Bollywood celebrities. Tendulkar later described sharing the stage with Messi, Suarez and De Paul as a “special moment.”

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh also met the football stars during the Mumbai leg, sharing photos on social media and thanking the organisers and Mumbai Police. In his post, Harbhajan hailed Messi as the “one and only GOAT.”

Speculation has also swirled around a possible meeting between Messi and Virat Kohli. Kohli had arrived in Mumbai with his wife Anushka Sharma on Saturday before travelling to Delhi, but there has been no official confirmation of any interaction between the two sporting icons.

As visuals from inside the Arun Jaitley Stadium showed last-minute preparations underway, anticipation remained high among fans, with Delhi set to host the final chapter of Lionel Messi’s much-talked-about GOAT Tour of India.