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Messi arrives in Delhi, meet with PM Modi cancelled

Last updated on: December 15, 2025 15:11 IST

Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri is gifted a jersey by Argentina great Lionel Messi during the Mumbai leg of the latter's GOAT tour on Sunday

IMAGE: Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri is gifted a jersey by Argentina great Lionel Messi during the Mumbai leg of the latter's GOAT tour on Sunday. Photograph: Screengrab/X

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi arrived in New Delhi on Monday for the final leg of his G.O.A.T India Tour after his flight from Mumbai was delayed considerably due to inclement weather.

Messi, who was in Mumbai for the second day of his three-day whirlwind trip to India, was to land in the national capital around 10:45am but his charter flight was held up due to foggy conditions in New Delhi.

 

He landed at the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport around 2:30pm, and straightaway proceeded to the Leela Palace Hotel where he will have a Meet and Greet session for around an hour with a select group of people.

According to reports, Messi was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the meeting was cancelled late on the day.

Messi's final set of engagements includes an appearance at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium for a ticketed event and a photo-shoot programme at Purana Qila before leaving for the airport for the return to Miami, his current base.

The World Cup winner regaled fans in Mumbai last evening, posing alongside cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and a bevy of Bollywood stars and politicians. Before Mumbai, he also made similar appearances in Hyderabad and Kolkata.

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