Colourful confetti showered down on Lionel Messi as he ended his whirlwind four-city tour of India with a cameo at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday, where a near-capacity crowd shouted themselves hoarse during his half-hour appearance.

World Cup winners, iconic number 10s, and GOATs of two different sports -- football legend Lionel Messi and cricket great Sachin Tendulkar -- came together in one frame at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. Following a chaotic experience in Kolkata the previous day, Messi’s ongoing three-day, four-city GOAT tour of India found its rhythm again in Hyderabad and Mumbai. The crowd, which had gathered at the stadium since the afternoon, erupted with excitement as Messi, Sachin, and India’s football great Sunil Chhetri shared the stage at different points during the event. Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez, received a gift from Sachin -- the former Indian skipper’s iconic jersey from the 2011 Cricket World Cup -- in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Sachin described it as a “golden moment for Mumbai and India,” and the fans’ reaction reaffirmed the great batter’s words, with chants of “Messi… Messi… Sachin… Sachin” rising from every corner of the stadium. Photo: X