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Messi-merised: Fans in awe of a legend
Hindustan Times Lucknow
|December 16, 2025
Crowd of 25,000 turn up to watch Messi’s GOAT India Tour. Gracias Delhi! thanks the Argentine star
A 90-minute delay, a persistent smoky haze and an AQ upwards of 450 did little to dim the enthusiasm of a 25,000-strong crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as football’s global superstar Lionel Messi descended on the national capital to wind up his whirlwind three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour on Monday.
On a day that saw the city gasping under severe pollution that threw air traffic completely out of gear, Messi’s chartered flight from Mumbai landed after a significant delay, pushing the event behind schedule by 90 minutes. Unperturbed, the crowd began to pour in as soon as the stadium gates were thrown open at 11:30 am, and within an hour, the ground was brimming with people dressed in Albiceleste’s blue and white striped jerseys bearing the number 10.
This story is from the December 16, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times Lucknow.
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