Calm Finish to Lionel Messi's Visit to India In the Wake of Kolkata Chaos

Football superstar Lionel Messi has wrapped up his multi-day India tour in hazy Delhi, after a chaotic opening in Kolkata.

On Monday, thousands of fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentinian and Inter Miami forward.

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

His plane from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, reports stated, and his agenda had to be cut down. On Saturday, disappointed fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there.

An Intense Itinerary Spanning Multiple Cities

Messi had a packed schedule in India, taking part 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 presented a 21-meter statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India.

Chaotic Beginning in Football-Loving Kolkata

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

Football is extremely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of ardent supporters had spent up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event.

However, most of them didn't even get to see him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his quick walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation turned hostile.

"Faulty planning of a much-publicized event, poor coordination" 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 grabbed international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been dubbed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.

The organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in detention.

Peaceful Visits in Other Cities

Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans sharing their delight at seeing the global icon on social media and in press interactions.

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 engagements, Messi could be seen greeting large fan gatherings in stadiums and dribbling 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 left the country on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Reason of Messi's Immense Popularity in India

Messi's fame comes not only from his prolific international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the highest goal-getter for Barcelona – but also the deep bond that millions of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.