As Delhi gears up to host football superstar Lionel Messi for the final leg of his GOAT India tour, the national capital on Monday witnessed dense winter fog that threatened to dampen the much-anticipated visit. Visibility dropped to near zero across large parts of the city, traffic slowed to a crawl and the India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for fog, with temperatures plunging to 8.2 degrees Celsius.
Messi’s arrival coincided with a familiar Delhi winter scene — cold, grey and choked with smog — quickly turning the moment into internet fodder. Social media platforms were soon flooded with visuals of fog-covered roads, masked commuters and hazy skylines, prompting fans to respond with humour and memes.
One widely shared meme
read: “Messi aapka Delhi main swagat hai (Welcome to Delhi Messi). I heard your left leg is insured for $900 million, lungs ka kya (what about your lungs)?”
Another user quipped, “Messi has 896 career goals. Tomorrow, Delhi’s AQI will beat that.”
A third fan posted a blank image captioned, “Here is a photo of Messi and Virat Kohli in Delhi .. two GOATs,” implying the duo would be invisible amid the pollution.
“Fans are waiting to see Virat Kohli and Leo Messi together in Delhi. Meanwhile, this is how the photo would probably look in Delhi air,” a fourth user joked, sharing a blurred image of the two sporting icons.
Chaos In Kolkata, Celebration In Hyderabad & Mumbai: Messi’s India Tour So Far
The mood in Delhi stood in stark contrast to Mumbai, Messi’s previous stop. On December 14, the Wankhede Stadium hosted a smooth, celebratory event where Messi appeared alongside Sunil Chhetri and Sachin Tendulkar. He played passes with children, took part in a friendly penalty shootout and exchanged jerseys with the two Indian legends. The event drew praise for its organisation, including from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who commended Mumbai’s crowd management.
That praise carried significance following chaos during Messi’s opening appearance in Kolkata, where thousands of fans missed getting a glimpse of the football great. The situation escalated into vandalism, damaged seating and broken barricades, forcing Messi to cut his visit short. The incident led to the arrest of tour organiser Satadru Dutta over mismanagement.
Subsequent stops in Hyderabad and Mumbai were calmer, suggesting lessons had been learned. Now, with Delhi in focus amid fog, smog and viral memes, organisers and authorities face renewed scrutiny as fans eagerly await the possibility of Messi sharing the stage with Indian cricket star Virat Kohli.
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