Rahul Gandhi met Argentine football icon Lionel Messi in Hyderabad on Saturday during the second leg of the GOAT India Tour 2025, marking one of the tour’s most high-profile interactions. The meeting took place at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, where Messi presented Gandhi with a signed jersey, and the two briefly spoke before the event continued. Messi, warmly acknowledging the overwhelming support he received in India, thanked fans for the affection shown to him not just during this tour, but over the years and especially during the last World Cup.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was also present at the venue before Gandhi’s arrival. The Chief Minister and Messi even spent a few light-hearted moments together on the pitch, kicking a ball as fans cheered loudly from the stands.
The Hyderabad event comes after the first leg of Messi’s India tour in Kolkata, which drew criticism for chaotic crowd management. Nearly 50,000 spectators, many of whom had paid several thousand rupees for tickets, found their experience overshadowed by the large number of VVIPs and security personnel swarming Messi, leaving fans with only fleeting glimpses of the star. The situation escalated when frustrated spectators threw bottles, food packets, and even ripped-out stadium chairs onto the field, raising serious concerns about venue security protocols.
As Messi continues his India tour, Mumbai is preparing for his arrival on Sunday with heightened security arrangements. Authorities have banned metal objects, water bottles, coins, and other items inside stadiums and have set up dedicated watchtowers to improve crowd monitoring. Messi is expected to attend the Padel GOAT Cup at the Cricket Club of India, followed by a celebrity football event, before heading to Wankhede Stadium for the tour’s main programme. He will also travel to Delhi, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
