Calm Finish to Lionel Messi's India Tour In the Wake of Unrest in Kolkata

Global football icon Lionel Messi has concluded his three-day India tour in hazy Delhi, following a chaotic opening in Kolkata.

On Monday, countless fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to catch a sight of the Argentina and Inter Miami attacker.

As Messi, alongside Inter Miami colleagues Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, walked onto the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd chanted his name.

His flight from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, reports reported, and his itinerary had to be cut down. On Saturday, frustrated fans damaged a Kolkata stadium because they didn't get to see him during his appearance there.

An Intense Itinerary Across Several Metropolises

Messi had a packed schedule in India, participating in a succession of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the pre-dawn of Saturday.

Before making his way to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he virtually revealed a 21-meter statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the city in eastern India.

Disastrous Start in Football-Loving Kolkata

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

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

However, most of them didn't even get to see him as he was accompanied by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation grew violent.

"Poor management of a much-publicized event, disorganization" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "battlefield", as fans – denied even a glimpse of Messi – "vented their anger by engaging in violence."

The unrest, which captured international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been dubbed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.

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

Successful Engagements in Hyderabad and Mumbai

Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the global icon online and in media interviews.

Messi also encountered several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

In between these engagements, Messi could be seen greeting large fan gatherings in stadiums and juggling the ball with groups of children.

There were rumors earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a scheduled visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Source of His Vast Popularity in India

Messi's appeal is due to more than his lengthy international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the deep bond that countless Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.