Ahead of Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour, dog lovers trend emotional hashtag on social media

13th December 2025 will be a historic day for India as Lionel Messi will make his first appearance in the country since 2011, courtesy the GOAT India Tour. The short trip ends on December 15 with Messi set to visit the cities of Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi across the three days.

Meanwhile, dog lovers on social media have stirred up a touching hashtag on social media, #HelpUsMessi. The tweets are being put up by official activists and general public as a strong stance against dog cruelty in the country. The X handle 'Team Messi', an official global fan account started by Adidas to celebrate Messi, is being actively tagged in all posts having this hashtag.

Recently, the Supreme Court of India directed stray dogs across the country to be removed from public spaces like schools, hospitals and national highways with an order to send the animals to protective shelters. However, pet lovers have been strongly vocal about the prevailing condition of such dog shelters and that is the trigger behind this hashtag for Messi.

Dilthi Gujarati, a handle on X that specialises in animal activism has requested Team Messi to intervene with financial or logistical help in this matter. The handle has also posted uncomfortable videos of dogs being posted in inefficient shelters across the country. The major protests have come from the four cities that Messi is slated to visit.

"Hyderabad's community dogs are illegally picked up & kept in overcrowded ABC centres. SC guidelines ignored.

@TeamMessi, help us raise our voice," wrote Ajay Joe who is a popular social activist.