This tour has been of mixed emotions to fans all over India. While the Kolkata venue was a case of complete disaster and mismanagement (for detailed information about the mishap, you can read this article , organisers bounced back when the tour progressed to Hyderabad and Mumbai. Fans were really optimistic after this turn of event and were expecting the same at Delhi. But what happened next was a mix of both good and bad fortunes.
Delay of Event
I reached the stadium sharp at 1:15 PM. Fans in large numbers appeared at the stadium by beating all the odds like the heavy traffic rush, high air pollution (AQI according to official data peaked at 500 in many areas).When I reached the stadium, the 1st problem I faced was to find the correct queue. There were multiple 200 meter long queues but there was not a single directive or an indicative sign board which told me which queue was for Gate number 17. I asked the security officials and I went to the queue told by them, but only to find out that the queue was for Gate 1 to 4. It took me 15 minutes to find the queue. I also saw fans were struggling to get their chance to safely deposit the prohibited items to the “Locker Room” stall as there was no management to handle the rushing crowd.
The event was scheduled at 1:30 PM and as soon as I grabbed my seat, there was an announcement on all the LED screens that there is a 40 minute delay. The district app (the ticket booking partner of the event) at 1:56 PM sent me a whatsapp message about further delay of 90 minutes, which really frustrated me.
Even after that without any further clarification, the delay actually was about 170 minutes as Messi entered the stadium at 4:15 PM.
The DJ and the host tried to keep the fans engaged by hosting mini events like Messi’s trivia quiz, clap on the beat but it all failed as fans were losing patience. Meanwhile on a funny note, when DJ asked “Do you think Messi is the GOAT?”, a guy sitting in my stand who had worn a Cristiano Ronaldo custom shirt waved his Portugal Ronaldo jersey in the air. Seeing this gesture I saw Messi fans in the crowd pointing Messi Iconic World Cup winning photos to him. They all then engaged in a friendly banter for a few minutes which reignited my spirit.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y7M6m71GwFti94Rr6
Celebrity Match
I finally saw the energy back when the squad of the celebrity team was announced. All the players of the team came on the ground and they took a tour. I was so happy watching Zeeshan aka TalkFootballHD, RJ Abhinav in reality. This was genuinely a pleasant surprise for me and it was like cherry on the top. 2 matches, one each in front of the West and East Stand of the stadium, were played between Minerva Academy players and a celebrity team.
These games were played a few minutes prior to Messi’s arrival. Minerva Academy players won both matches by the 5-0 and 1-0.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gEyjzSNuUQXtZeVp6
I became happier when I saw another famous content creator in my stand. Can you spot him and identify him?
Messi’s Arrival
Messi, Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul finally arrived. Heavily surrounded by bodyguards, all three players first measured the entire stadium by walking past each stand in all the directions. Messi kicked many footballs into the crowd during the trip giving a few fans possibly the best pre Christmas gift of their lives. I was screaming at the top of my lungs when he came close to my stand. Choosing the ground floor front seat really paid off for me as Messi was hardly a meter away from me. There was just one Iron reinforced heavy barricade between Messi and me.
I was that close to Messi 💙❤️ #MessiInIndia #GOATIndiaTour @tacklefromb pic.twitter.com/DWxk0aoJvn
— Ari$#4011 (@I_M_ARISH1104) December 16, 2025
When they reached the east stand, Messi, Suarez and De Paul shook hands with each player of both Minerva Academy and the celebrity team. They also took a group photo with the teams.
The above events happened in the span of like 15 minutes. Then as expected, a major chunk of the event’s time was once again spent in group photos with VVIPs and politicians. These names included ICC chairman Jay Shah and his son, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, DDCA President Rohan Jaitley and relatives of other sponsors.
These things took around 25 minutes. I heard loud BOOs from fans when the names of VVIP and politicians were called out as they didn’t like this segment. I laughed hilariously when everyone started chanting “AQI, AQI !!” when honourable Delhi’s CM name was called out.
In the end, Messi gave a heartwarming speech to fans in Spanish
Messi’s message to India at Delhi #GOAT𓃵 #MessiInIndia #Messi @tacklefromb pic.twitter.com/g6jQvyM4FE
— Ari$#4011 (@I_M_ARISH1104) December 16, 2025
“Agradecer el cariño de todos estos días a India. La verdad que fue una experiencia eh muy linda para nosotros poder compartir. Si bien fue intensa y cortita, fue hermoso recibir todo el cariño este si que ya sabía que que estaba, pero recibirlo de primera mano fue eh impresionante, una locura todo lo que lo que hicieron por nosotros estos días. Así que que nada, nos llevamos el cariño de todos y seguramente eh volveremos. Ojalá sea algún día eh a jugar algún partido o en otra ocasión, pero seguramente que que volveremos a visitar India. Muchas gracias. Gracias. Ah.”
“I want to thank everyone in India for all the love these past few days. Honestly, it was such a beautiful experience for us to share. Even though it was intense and short, it was amazing to feel all the love—something I kinda expected, but experiencing it firsthand was just incredible. It’s crazy everything you all did for us these days. So yeah, we’re taking all the love with us and we’ll definitely be back. Hopefully one day to play a game or for another reason, but for sure we’ll come back to visit India. Thanks a lot. Thanks. Ah..”
Pre and Post Event Chaos
Although it was mentioned in the document sent by sponsors via Whatsapp the prohibition of electronic items like Earphones, Headphones, powerbanks, bags, etc, many fans since came directly to the venue from the Airport and Railway station, they had these items. Although there was a “Locker Room” named tent setup where fans could store those items free of cost, the management there was the worst. Only 2 persons were handling the crowd of 700 people each stand and it created utter chaos.
I saw a security guard literally sitting comfortably and smoking a cigarette instead of managing people. No security was there to maintain a queue and I saw fans were breaking the line and they just gushed towards the stall. Multiple people were assigned the same token number. Each stall ran out of space and small electronics items were stored on the open table without any security.
As a result, 20 minutes were wasted while we were handling the items before entry. While I found it difficult to find a cab due to the heavy rush, 35 minutes had gone by and I found people were still collecting the stuff from the “Lockers Room”.
Fans were also to be given a small memorabilia from the event which was a 3-d effect Messi Card at the arrival. I was a bit sad as I didn’t get one because they decided to give it in the end and all fans rushed to collect it without any queue, so only a small portion of fans got it. Police grabbed me mildly by my hoodie and many others to avoid a dangerous stampede. It was a really wise move by the Police and the situation got under control.
Overall Rating
While fans were happy to see Messi as he took a slow and peaceful trip of the entire stadium, but the delay, too many photos with VVIP and chaos at the “Locker Room” stall ruined.
Had the event not got delayed, Messi was also expected to kick some penalties in front of the East and West Stand of the stadium. He was also expected to play a 10 minute match with the kids who were invited to play with the legend. But nothing happened.
The crowd was intense whenever Messi reached near to stand. But overall it was not the worst part of the entire India tour but certainly not the best.
The Delhi event was a 6/10 level worthy.
