"Lionel Messi made headlines for all the wrong reasons on Saturday when his three-day tour of India descended into violence. The Argentina legend was visiting the city of Kolkata at the start of a whistle-stop visit taking in four cities. Many of Messi's fans were left feeling short-changed when they failed to get a glimpse of one of the world's most famous players. It was the first time Messi had been to India since 2011. This is how his visit played out."
"Fresh from helping Inter Miami win the MLS Cup for the first time, Messi was embarking on a promotional tour. It was called the GOAT India Tour 2025 - GOAT meaning 'greatest of all time'. Messi was joined by Uruguay star Luis Suarez and Argentina's Rodrigo de Paul, who also play for Inter Miami. The tour started in Kolkata on Saturday."
"For access to the stadium only, face value tickets cost 3,500 rupees (29) for Kolkata and Hyderabad. For New Dehli, the price was 4,200 rupees (35). However, this is about half the average weekly wage in India. But with tickets sold out, fans were paying much more for the chance to see Messi. Reports in Indian media said some locals had paid up to 12,000 rupees (99) to get in."
Lionel Messi visited India on a three-day GOAT India Tour 2025, joined by Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, with stops in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Dehli. The tour followed Inter Miami's MLS Cup win and offered ticket tiers from stadium access to expensive VVIP meet-and-greets. Face-value stadium tickets cost 3,500–4,200 rupees, about half the average weekly wage, while resale prices rose and some locals paid up to 12,000 rupees. One hundred VVIP packages included a meet-and-greet and photograph for one million rupees. Thousands lined roads and gathered outside hotels in Kolkata; Messi landed there at 01:30 local time and a 70ft World Cup-lifting statue was unveiled.
Read at www.bbc.com
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