Smiles, pics, football: After Kolkata chaos, Hyderabad shows how to host Messi

NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi’s programme successful Hyderabad connected Saturday offered a wide opposition to the upset seen earlier successful Kolkata, arsenic the 2nd limb of the GOAT India Tour passed without disruption and ended connected a creaseless note.After a troubled commencement successful the City of Joy, Hyderabad offered a mounting wherever the lawsuit was allowed to breathe. The operation held, the assemblage stayed successful place, and the programme ran arsenic intended, drafting a wide enactment betwixt what had gone incorrect earlier successful the time and what was enactment close later.

Messi arrived successful Hyderabad astatine astir 5.40 pm, pursuing a hard opening limb of his three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour 2025. Telangana main minister A Revanth Reddy received him astatine the Taj Falaknuma Palace earlier the Argentine headed to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.The stands were adjacent to afloat erstwhile Messi walked out, dressed simply successful a greenish crew-neck T-shirt, achromatic trousers and sports shoes. This time, determination was nary rush, nary scramble. He stayed for astir an hour, astatine ease, moving done the programme without the strain that had chopped abbreviated his clip successful Kolkata.“I americium precise blessed to beryllium successful Hyderabad successful the midst of each the emotion and affection shown by you all,” Messi said done a translator, acknowledging the crowd.

Messi, on with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, took portion successful the GOAT Cup punishment shootout, with Revanth Reddy besides joining them connected the tract successful shot attire. The players aboriginal conducted shot clinics for children earlier the formalities drew to a close.Senior Congress person Rahul Gandhi joined the radical towards the extremity of the lawsuit during the felicitation ceremony, with photographs taken successful beforehand of the sponsor hoardings lining the ground.Messi presented the GOAT Cup to Singareni RR 9, winners of the seven-a-side accumulation lucifer and a squad representing the main minister. Reddy presented a memento to Messi, portion Gandhi handed 1 to Suarez.Before stepping onto the field, Messi spent clip wrong the stadium, looking astatine photographs connected the walls and speaking with officials. He waved to fans from down a solid barrier, past aboriginal offered glimpses of the interaction and power that person defined his career, juggling and passing the shot with Suarez, De Paul and Reddy.

A dilatory locomotion astir the stadium followed, with Messi acknowledging the assemblage on the way.Earlier successful the day, scenes successful Kolkata were precise different. Around 50,000 spectators, galore of whom paid betwixt Rs 4,000 and Rs 12,000 — and successful immoderate cases up to Rs 20,000 successful the achromatic marketplace — were near aggravated arsenic politicians, VVIPs and information unit surrounded Messi, limiting visibility for fans.The concern escalated erstwhile spectators threw bottles, which are banned wrong stadiums. Food packets were besides recovered wrong the venue. Chairs were pulled retired and thrown, and fibreglass seats were damaged crossed the tract and the synthetic track.Messi volition question to Mumbai connected Sunday for the 3rd limb of the GOAT India Tour 2025. He volition reason his sojourn connected Monday successful New Delhi, wherever helium is scheduled to conscionable Prime Minister Narendra Modi.