Wankhede Stadium witnessed a historic evening on Sunday. Football icon Lionel Messi and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar shared the stage at a grand event in Mumbai.
Messi visited India as part of his four-city GOAT India tour. He spent nearly an hour at Wankhede. He interacted with young footballers, Tendulkar, Indian football great Sunil Chhetri, and several celebrities.
The stadium, famous for India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, echoed with loud cheers throughout the event.
‘Project Maha-Deva’ launched
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched Project Maha-Deva during the program. The initiative aims to identify and develop young football talent across the state.
Fadnavis welcomed the visiting football stars with bouquets. He also presented Messi with a special memento.
Crowd roars for Messi and Sachin
Tendulkar entered the stadium at around 5:45 PM (IST). Shortly after, Messi arrived with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul.
For the first time at Wankhede, chants of “Messi… Messi” dominated the atmosphere. The familiar “Sachin… Sachin” chants returned in full force when Tendulkar joined Messi on stage later.
Speaking to the crowd, Tendulkar said, “I have spent some incredible moments here. A number of dreams have seen the finish line on this very venue. And without your support, we would never have seen those golden moments on this ground in 2011 (cricket World Cup).”
He added, “And today, having all three of them here is indeed a golden moment for Mumbai, Mumbaikars and India.”
Tendulkar praises Messi
Tendulkar also praised Messi’s journey and achievements. He said, “When it comes to Leo, what does one talk about him? He has achieved everything. We really admire his dedication, determination, commitment.”
The crowd responded with chants of “Barca… Barca” and “Suarez… Suarez,” creating an atmosphere similar to Barcelona’s Camp Nou.
Chhetri gets special tribute
Fans also celebrated Sunil Chhetri, who recently retired from international football after scoring 94 goals for India. The stadium rang with “Chhetri… Chhetri” chants.
Messi presented his Argentina jersey to both Chhetri and CM Fadnavis during the interaction.
Exhibition match and fan moments
An exhibition match followed in a 7-vs-7 format. It featured current Indian players Rahul Bheke and Konsham Chinglensana, women’s football star Bala Devi, and Chhetri.
Messi, Suarez, and de Paul kicked footballs into the stands. They took a lap around the ground. They also interacted with young players from Project Maha-Deva.
The three footballers engaged with players from both Mitra Stars and India Stars teams during the match.
Exchange of iconic jerseys
Tendulkar gifted Messi his autographed India limited-overs jersey with the number 10. Messi returned the gesture by gifting Tendulkar a football.
Star-studded presence
Messi arrived wearing a white T-shirt and black track pants. He walked on a red carpet as fans, who had arrived hours earlier, cheered loudly. Notable attendees included CM Fadnavis, Tendulkar, former AIFF president Praful Patel, and Bollywood actors Ajay Devgan and Tiger Shroff.
Before the Wankhede event, Messi visited the Cricket Club of India at Brabourne Stadium for an undisclosed padel event. The celebration spread across stands named after Indian legends such as Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Vijay Merchant, making the evening even more special.