Argentina national team star Lionel Messi's trip to India moved to the southern city of Hyderabad after the unrest in Calcutta. Here, the footballer was received in a relatively calm atmosphere, and there were no serious objections to the organizers. The most common scene from this visit was Messi's participation in a master class with local official, Telangana State Prime Minister Revant Reddy.
Minister's training: Messi was overwhelmed
During the training, not a single pass from the 56-year-old official reached its intended destination. It's worth noting that no one had let Messi chase the ball this much in a long time. This was watched with smiles by Leo's friends, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, whom the locals barely knew.
It can be said that the organizational level of the event significantly surpassed the minister's football skills.
Interesting story: Another lucky person at the event was the guard who shook hands with Messi. But this didn't sit well with the minister.
Goals and reprimands
After an exciting training session, Messi and the minister played a small football match against each other on two teams. The politician even scored once, and Leo scored a brace.
When the game ended and Reddy left the stadium, he scolded the guard. Because the guard couldn't contain himself and dared to shake Messi's hand during work. The minister looked at him sternly and objected. But the employee, it seems, wasn't very upset by this situation.
The game was intended for cricket and took place at the former Prime Minister of the country, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
Parade of Politicians
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of opposition forces in parliament and a fifth-generation member of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, also visited the city to see Messi. She came to the stadium with the children of her political sister Priyanka Gandhi. Currently, everyone in India is eager to meet Messi: Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan also brought his son to meet the footballer in Calcutta.
Future plans: Messi has so far been to southern and eastern India. Now he is traveling west - to Mumbai, and then north - to the capital, New Delhi. There, Leo is scheduled to meet with the country's current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Tension in Calcutta: Shouting and destruction
Messi's visit to the country began at the airfield in Calcutta and immediately caused a commotion among fans. The main event - a demonstration game at the 70,000-seat Salt Lake Stadium - turned into a disappointing event due to officials and security guards surrounding the footballer.
As a result, fans who barely saw Messi and were dissatisfied with the organization initially whistled and then threw various objects onto the field. For security reasons, the security guards took the player out of the stadium prematurely. This further angered the fans, who ran onto the field and destroyed everything.
Fans' words: "We paid thousands of rupees to watch politicians take selfies, and Messi disappeared in a few minutes."
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