Lionel Messi in Kolkata: 20 Minutes at Salt Lake Stadium, Virtual Statue Unveiling, and Utter Chaos

'Aaj ei dintake moner khatay likhe Rakho' (Pen this day in the notebook of your heart), that is what the anchor inside the Salt Lake Stadium could be heard saying as thousands of fans were in the stands,

waiting to see a glimpse of Lionel Messi.

But will Kolkata be happy with how things unfolded? A closed-door statue unveiling, just around 20 minutes inside the Salt Lake stadium, and then a premature departure due to the chaos and probably heat - that sums up Messi's stay in Kolkata.

Messi has kicked off his GOAT India Tour and his first stop was Kolkata, where the Argentine superstar was supposed to do multiple activities.

Messi, along with Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, landed late at night at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Despite the temperature dipping, thousands were on the streets to welcome their favourite Leo. But across the Salt Lake Stadium, fans started to gather even before the sun rose, just to be ahead in the queue, to get a better look at Messi.

But the way things have unfolded has disgruntled the majority of fans, who paid a handsome amount to watch the extravaganza.

Lionel Messi unveiled Statue

Lionel Messi unveiled his own 70-feet statue virtually, and the event was conducted with the presence of Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was also present at the event and had a photo-op. Upto this moment, the thing was on course, but the chaos started after that.

Chaos inside Salt Lake Stadium, Lionel Messi leaves Early

But chaos unfolded with Lionel Messi reached the Salt Lake Stadium at about 11:30 AM. Firstly, his early arrival meant the cancellation of the Mohun Bagan vs Diamond Harbour All Stars match abruptly. The legends of Indian football were taking part, but suddenly, just after the start of the second half, it was ended as Messi arrived, much to the delight of the crowd.

Messi enters Yuba Bharati

Messi entered Yuba Bharati along with Luis Suarez and De Paul - the fans were in tears as the visuals showed an overpouring of emotion. But things started to break loose when he went on to meet the All-Star players. The enthusiasm among the Indian players was so much that the organizer Satadru Dutta had to rebuff many of them from taking autographs.

Chaos inside Salt Lake

The utter mismanagement from the organizers led to chaos. Messi was almost being serenaded by hundreds of people, and despite multiple requests from Satadru Dutta to evacuate the people from the pitch, none batted an eye. There was visible distress from Messi, who was not enjoying the heat and the flashes of cameras and people, but still, the Argentine kept a smile on his face, waved to the fans in the stands a few times.

Messi was completely marked by the who's who of Bengal, from bureaucrats to ministers, and courtesy of that, the fans, who paid money to witness, had almost no glimpse.

Satadru, meanwhile, kept requesting for evacuation so that the people in the stands could witness Messi, but that had no effect. After a small round of acknowledgement, Messi lost his patience and informed the organizers that he wants to leave.

The visuals showed Satadru Dutta saying 'Aar jaabena bolchhe (He is not willing to stay anymore)', and soon after, Messi was heading towards exit, much to the dismay and anger of the fans, who paid thousands to get a glimpse of their favourite star.

Angry Fans dismantle Messi poster, Vandalize

The fans got angry after Messi left the stadium early. Many of them started booing as soon as Messi was heading towards his car, while the banner at the gallery was torn apart. Angry fans also started to throw bottles onto the pitch to vent their disappointment, and chairs, sets have been vandalized since.

That's it for Kolkata! The wait for months, the plans, the dream to get a proper glimpse have ended. The proposed programme with Sourav Ganguly and Mamata Banerjee didn't take place as well. The magic which everyone anticipated has ended in utter disgust, thanks to gross mismanagement.