Hyderabad, 13 December. The Hyderabad leg of Argentine Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour, the reigning football king of the world, was a stark contrast to the chaotic inaugural event in Kolkata. On Saturday evening, Messi spent a lot of time under the floodlights of Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal and the fans also enjoyed it a lot.
CM Revanth Reddy, asked that man to move away from Messi so that the fans can have a clear view of #Messinot every man can have class.
At least he is better than other politicians pic.twitter.com/rTMo2vrHPj
— (@Shivayaaah) December 13, 2025
In fact, given the chaos that had erupted earlier in the day in Kolkata, the first leg of Messi’s GOAT India Tour, expectations ahead of the Hyderabad event were quite limited. But everything seemed orderly here.
Dribbles and passes with the GOAT himself!
Telangana CM Shri @revanth_anumula shared a fun moment with Lionel Messi at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Telangana pic.twitter.com/JcJL9g6PyO
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 13, 2025
Telangana CM Reddy scored a goal, Rahul Gandhi was also present
The event started with a friendly match between Revanth Reddy 9s and Aparna All-Stars, which gave a light-hearted and festive atmosphere to the event. A few minutes after kick-off, the noise in the stadium suddenly increased, signaling the arrival of Messi and his entourage. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was already present in the stadium while Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also attended the event and he himself scored a goal to give his team a 4-0 lead.
The match was stopped to welcome Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. As soon as these three entered the field, the stadium echoed with applause and cheers from the spectators. CM Revanth Reddy himself was seen ensuring that no unnecessary crowd gathered around Messi, which gave the spectators sitting in the stands a chance to watch him without any interruption. Messi and his teammates took part in a light kickabout with the Chief Minister and the children present on the field.
Dribbles and passes
#MessiInIndia pic.twitter.com/zc1dAMruBL
— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) December 13, 2025
Messi thanked for the love and support he has received over the years
The event concluded with a presentation ceremony, where Messi addressed the fans in Spanish. He thanked the love and support he has received over the years and said it was an honor to spend time in India and meet the supporters who have been a part of his journey, especially remembering the support he received during Argentina’s World Cup victory.
Messi said, ‘I want to say thank you for the love I have received today and always. I saw a lot before coming here and during the last World Cup. Heartfelt thanks for your affection. It is an honor for us to share this day with all of you in India. I am very grateful. Thank you.’
. 𝟏𝟏
pic.twitter.com/0oBE3ZqBKh
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 13, 2025
Messi met Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi was also seen having a brief conversation with Messi during the presentation ceremony. Rahul Gandhi was seen standing on the field with Messi and CM Reddy. The football icon also gave Rahul a signed Argentina number 10 jersey. The Congress party also posted a clip of that moment on Twitter. The caption of the post read, ‘When Rahul Gandhi meets Lionel Messi, GOAT Energy Pro Max.’ Earlier there were reports that Rahul Gandhi will also take part in this contest. However, he did not take part in this game.
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