Messi mania in Mumbai: Footballer smiles and waves at fans at packed Wankhede Stadium; Virat Kohli–Anushka skip meet-up, head to Delhi, leaving fans disappointed
Messi mania in Mumbai: Footballer smiles and waves at fans at packed Wankhede Stadium; Virat Kohli–Anushka skip meet-up, head to Delhi, leaving fans disappointedtwitter

Mumbai welcomed Lionel Messi with open arms on Sunday, December 14, 2025, it's the time Argentine legend visited the city. After the Kolkata fiasco, Hyderabad pulled off a smooth event, and Mumbai is also handling the fans and crowd well. 

Wankhede goes berserk with 'Messi Messi' chants

Several videos and photos of fans crowding the local trains and streets have gone viral. Messi has already wrapped up one meet and greet; he attended a private event at the Cricket Club of India (CCI), accompanied by Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez. He met Kareena Kapoor and her sons there, and he also waved at the fans. 

He then headed to the Wankhede Stadium for the celebrations, where celebrities and fans gathered in large numbers to catch of glimpse of Messi.

Messi hugs Sunil Chhetri, smiles, waves at fans at Wankhede Stadium; Virat Kohli–Anushka skip meet-up, head to Delhi; fans disappointed
Messi hugs Sunil Chhetri, smiles, waves at fans at Wankhede Stadium; Virat Kohli–Anushka skip meet-up, head to Delhi; fans disappointedtwitter

As Messi arrived at the stadium, fans cheered for the football star and welcomed him. Messi smiled and waved at fans. Messi met Former India captain Sunil Chettri at the stadium. Messi played football with players and threw the ball at the stands.

Take a look.

A picture to be remembered for ages: Messi hugs Sunil

A picture to be remembered for ages
A picture to be remembered for agestwitter
A picture to be remembered for ages
A picture to be remembered for agestwitter
A picture to be remembered for ages
A picture to be remembered for agestwitter

To ensure a smooth meet-and-greet, Mumbai Police deployed over 2,000 personnel in and around both venues.

Visuals from Wankhede Stadium show the crowd and fans chanting and holding banners in honour of the Barcelona icon.

Meanwhile, rumours were rife that there was a possible meet-up between Virat Kohli and Lionel Messi in Mumbai. However, these rumours now appear to have been debunked after Virat Kohli was spotted at the Delhi airport. A video of Kohli arriving in Delhi with his wife, actor Anushka Sharma, has been circulating on social media, leaving many fans disappointed as they anticipated a meet-up.

 

 

 

 

No meet up: Virat-Anushka skip meeting Messi in Mumbai, head to Delhi

Many also speculated that Anushka and Virat purposely turned down meeting Messi in Mumbai, as reports stated that they landed in Mumbai only to meet Messi. 

One user shared the video and captioned it, "Virat Kohli and Lionel Messi — no meet-up."

According to Crictoday, Virat Kohli was earlier seen at a private airport in Mumbai before travelling to Delhi, around the time Messi was expected to arrive in the city. This has sparked fresh curiosity among fans about whether the two sporting icons could still meet in Delhi, possibly at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Fueling the speculation further, one fan wrote, "VIRAT KOHLI MEET UP WITH LEO MESSI IN NEW DELHI TOMORROW!!,"

While another claimed, "Leo Messi will meet Virat Kohli tmro."

Many reports state that Virat will meet Messi in Delhi with PM Modi.

Messi's India Tour 2025 has taken the football legend across multiple cities, beginning with Kolkata on December 13, where he received a warm welcome from fans and celebrities. He then travelled to Hyderabad later that day and visited Mumbai on December 14. The final stop of his tour will be New Delhi on December 15, where he is expected to attend special events and engagements before concluding his visit.

Also Read