Smooth End to Lionel Messi's Visit to India After Kolkata Chaos

Football superstar Lionel Messi has concluded his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, following a chaotic opening in Kolkata.

On Monday, countless fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentinian and Inter Miami striker.

As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, walked onto the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd chanted his name.

His plane from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, sources indicated, and his schedule had to be shortened. On Saturday, disappointed fans damaged a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there.

An Intense Agenda Across Several Metropolises

Messi had a hectic schedule in India, attending a series of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the wee hours of Saturday.

Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely revealed a 21-meter statue of himself, built over 27 days by a large crew in the city in eastern India.

Chaotic Kickoff in Soccer-Mad Kolkata

The tour, however, began with a chaotic start after angry fans ripped up seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium.

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

However, the majority failed to see him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation became tense.

"Poor management of a highly anticipated event, disorganization" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "vented their anger by indulging in violence."

The unrest, which made international headlines, marred 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 detained, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in detention.

Smooth Visits in Hyderabad and Mumbai

Messi's visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai concluded peacefully, with fans expressing their joy 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, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

In between these meetings, Messi could be seen waving to large fan assemblies in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children.

There were speculation 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 Root of His Immense Appeal in India

Messi's popularity stems not just from his lengthy international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the deep bond that a huge number of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.