Global football icon Lionel Messi, along with his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, extended their India tour by a day to meet the Ambani family and spend time at Vantara.
The trio received a traditional Indian welcome at Vantara, marked by vibrant folk music, a ceremonial aarti, and a shower of flower petals. Messi, along with his teammates, performed the Maha Aarti at the temple, including Ambe Mata Puja, Ganesh Puja, Hanuman Puja and Shiv Abhishek, offering prayers for world peace and unity in keeping with India’s timeless ethos of reverence for all living beings.
Messi special visit to Vantara, attends Maha Aarti and more
Following the rituals, Messi visited Vantara, the wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre founded by Anant Ambani. He embarked on a guided tour of Vantara’s expansive conservation ecosystem, which is home to rescued big cats, elephants, herbivores, reptiles and fostered young animals from across the globe.
At the care centre for lions, leopards, tigers and other endangered species, Messi was seen posing with animals in naturalistic environments. He fed okapis, rhinos, giraffes and elephants, and later praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to advancing wildlife care and conservation in India.
Messi also visited the Herbivore Care Centre and the Reptile Care Centre, where he observed animals receiving specialised veterinary care, customised nutrition, behavioural training and husbandry protocols that reflect Vantara’s wildlife welfare ethos.
During the visit, he toured the multi-speciality wildlife hospital, witnessing real-time clinical and surgical procedures. The highlight of the tour was the Elephant Care Centre, where Messi met Maniklal, a rescued elephant calf saved along with his ailing mother, Prathima, from harsh labour in the logging industry two years ago.
In a heartwarming moment, Messi took part in an impromptu football activity with Maniklal. The calf responded enthusiastically, making playful moves that showcased his emerging skills.
Responding in Spanish to Anant Ambani’s remarks, Messi said, “What Vantara does is truly beautiful, the work for animals, the care they receive, and the way they are rescued and looked after. It is genuinely impressive. We had a wonderful time, felt completely at ease throughout, and it is an experience that stays with you. We will surely visit again to continue inspiring and supporting this meaningful work.”
Messi also participated in Nariyal Utsarg and Matka Phod, traditional rituals symbolising goodwill and auspicious beginnings. The ceremony concluded with chants for peace and well-being. Messi, who leads the Leo Messi Foundation dedicated to social causes, education, healthcare and children’s welfare worldwide, expressed a deep sense of alignment with Vantara’s mission and appreciation for its vision of compassionate, science-driven animal care.
As photos and videos from the visit went viral on social media, netizens offered mixed reactions to Messi performing aarti and puja, and appearing in traditional attire with a tilak on his forehead and folded hands in prayer. Some initially speculated that the visuals were AI-generated, but many were later convinced that Messi had indeed participated in the rituals at Vantara alongside Anant Ambani.
A user wrote, “Another banger collab by the end of 2025.”
The second user wrote, “Messi is enjoying himself.”
Meanwhile, Anant Ambani gifted Lionel Messi an ultra-rare Richard Mille RM 003 V2 “Asia Edition”.
This watch is one of Richard Mille’s early and most iconic models, whose estimated market value is $1.1 million. The watch costs around Rs 10 crores.
About the RM 003-V2 GMT Asia Edition watch
The watch features a manual-winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, a dual time zone indicator, a function selector, power-reserve and torque indicators, along with a black carbon case, a skeleton dial, and a titanium baseplate.
It has a 38mm tripartite case made of Carbon TPT (Thin Ply Technology), a material initially developed for aerospace and Formula 1 racing.
The RM 002 introduces a second time zone to the tourbillon movement. Its innovative sapphire disc made black hour numerals appear to light up over a white section at 3 o’clock. This concept later appeared in other Richard Mille models, with the time zone adjustable via a pusher at 9 o’clock.
The movement is designed to counteract the effects of gravity on the watch’s accuracy. The manual-winding movement includes a torque indicator between 1 and 2 o’clock to monitor mainspring tension, and a power-reserve indicator at 10:30 showing up to 70 hours.
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