Messi thrills India with final lap of honour

FOOTBALL superstar Lionel Messi ended his whirlwind tour of India on Monday with a lap of honour in New Delhi, thrilling thousands of fans and thanking them for "all the love and support".

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The 38-year-old Argentine great greeted chanting supporters at a nearly packed Arun Jaitley Stadium usually home to cricket with fans dressed in Argentina jerseys waving flags and shouting his name.

"It was beautiful to receive all the love and support. I knew it was there, but to receive it firsthand was, well, amazing," Messi said, while speaking in Spanish, adding that he will "definitely be back".

Clad in a pink jersey and black trousers, Messi enthralled the audience with his charm as he kicked footballs into the crowd and obliged starstruck delegates and fans with selfies.

Messi and his fellow stars played football with children before being presented with a T20 World Cup ticket and an Indian jersey by the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Jay Shah.

India a nation of 1.4 billion are a cricket powerhouse but struggle on the football pitch and are ranked 142nd on the Fifa rankings.