Football superstar Lionel Messi has wrapped up his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, after a chaotic opening in Kolkata.
On Monday, thousands of fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentina and Inter Miami forward.
As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled the pitch - kicking balls into the stands, passing with a group of children and signing autographs - the crowd chanted his name.
His flight to the Indian capital from Mumbai was delayed due to fog and poor visibility, local media reported, and his itinerary had to be trimmed.
Messi kept a packed schedule in India, attending a string of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai since arriving in the early hours of Saturday.
Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he virtually unveiled a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the eastern city.
The tour, however, got off to an unfortunate start after angry fans ripped up seats and threw items towards the pitch at the stadium.
Football is hugely popular in West Bengal state - the capital of which is Kolkata - and thousands of adoring supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees (£100; $133) to catch a glimpse of Messi. However, most of them couldn't even catch a glimpse as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium before being whisked away as the situation turned hostile.
Kolkata's The Telegraph criticized the event's management, suggesting that "poor coordination" and security failures turned the stadium into a battlefield, leading fans to express their anger through violence.
The ruckus, which made international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been called a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.
The event organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody.
Messi's later visits in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed smoothly, delighting fans who took to social media to share their experiences in seeing the global icon.
In between events, Messi connected with several notable figures, such as Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar during his stay.
Despite the rocky start, Messi's star power proved to be a unifying force, bringing joy to his fans and enhancing the football experience in a cricket-dominated country.
