Lionel Messi's much-awaited GOAT India Tour ended in Delhi on Monday (December 15). After a disastrous start in Kolkata, the events in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi were executed seamlessly with no disruptions at all. While this meant a strong all-round trip for the football legend and his fans in three cities, people in Kolkata are understandably still hurting from the mishap.
VIDEO | Kolkata: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on the Messi event fiasco at Salt Lake Stadium says, "The incident hurt the sentiments of football lovers and was a result of mismanagement and systemic failure. Directions have been given for a judicial enquiry, refund of… pic.twitter.com/jjK2wvrFNh
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 15, 2025
The event took off on Saturday (December 13) morning at the Salt Lake Stadium but Messi was forced to leave inside 30 minutes after being swarmed by VIP entrants, including major politicians and cops. As a result of the overcrowding on the ground, Messi's private security team had to escort him away inside 15-20 minutes, leaving the massive crowd in the stands disappointed and hurt.
There have been plenty of discussions around what went around in Kolkata, with different perspectives on view. Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, meanwhile, had a completely different opinion about the event and questioned Messi's commitment. The 76-year-old felt that Messi should have honored his commitment of being at the ground for the entire duration.
"What his agreement was is not public knowledge, but if he was meant to be at the stadium for an hour, then by leaving well before that time and disappointing fans who had paid good money, the real culprit was he and his entourage," wrote Gavaskar in his column for Sportstar.
"Yes, he was surrounded by politicians and so-called VIPs, but there was no security threat to him or his entourage. Was he supposed to simply walk around the stadium, or do something tangible like take a penalty kick? If it were the latter, those around him would automatically have had to move, and the crowd would have seen their hero do what they had come to watch."
Gavaskar also pointed out the events in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, explaining how those cities managed to execute the GOAT India Tour with perfection. Dwelling on the commitment factor once again, the Mumbaikar urged critics to look at this controversy with an open mind, and felt that Indians are often their own enemies in such cases.
"The other appearances went smoothly because commitments were met. So before blaming fellow Indians in Kolkata, it might be worth checking whether commitments on both sides were honoured. Otherwise, it will be exactly what the Chief of the Intelligence Bureau says in the movie, that “we Indians are India’s worst enemies”.
