Lionel Messi wears India's cricket jersey during the Adidas India special event; gives autographs to major Indian sports stars

Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour has turned out to be a great success. Yes, the opening leg in Kolkata was a dampener but things were seamlessly conducted in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. One of the major highlights of Messi's tour was his interaction with International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah in Delhi.

Shah presented Messi with a customised Indian cricket jersey with 'Messi' and '10' on the back. Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul were also given jerseys with their respective trademark numbers. Messi was also given tickets to India's opening match of T20 World Cup 2026, to be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Lionel Messi did a special photo shoot with India's major sports stars for Adidas India

Messi wore the gifted Indian cricket team jersey during a special event conducted by Adidas India. The football legend spent time with major Indian sports stars of various fields. Kuldeep Yadav and Renuka Singh Thakur represented the Indian men's and women's team respectively while javelin thrower Sumit Antil and boxing champion Nikhat Zareen was also present.

There was a special photoshoot done of the five with the Indian sports stars visibly in awe of Messi's presence. Kuldeep, a vocal fan of Messi and FC Barcelona, took autographs along with Nishad Kumar. Messi also signed specific merchandise for the Indian celebrities to round off a special tour of India.

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar had gifted his memorable 2011 ODI World Cup jersey to Messi at the Mumbai event. Messi had given his 2022 World Cup jersey to India's football icon Sunil Chhetri. During the Delhi leg, Messi was also given a bat signed by all Indian cricketers, another gift from Shah.