Jay Shah Presents T20 World Cup Tickets and Gifts to Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi, the renowned Argentine footballer, received tickets for the India versus USA Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 from Jay Shah, the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The presentation took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, marking the final segment of Messi's highly publicised G.O.A.T. India Tour. In attendance were Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Rohan Jaitley, president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

Alongside Messi, his fellow Argentine teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez were also honoured with a Team India jersey and a framed cricket bat. In addition, former Indian women's football goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan, who has played for West Ham United in the Women's Premier League, presented signed T-shirts to all three football stars.

During the event, Messi voiced his heartfelt appreciation for the warm welcome he received in India. He stated, “Thank you for all the affection you have shown us here in India over these days. Truly, it was a unique experience for us to be able to share this. Although it was intense and very short, it was wonderful to receive all this love, which I already knew was there, but experiencing it firsthand was incredible. Everything you did for us over these days was astonishing, pure madness. So thank you all for the love, and we will surely return someday — perhaps to play a match or on some other occasion — but we will definitely visit again. Thank you very much, thank you.”

Messi's arrival in Delhi was delayed due to heavy fog, causing his charter flight to land later than originally planned. Following his arrival, he went directly to The Leela Palace Hotel for a one-hour meet-and-greet with a select group of guests.

The G.O.A.T. Tour has encountered various challenges, particularly in Kolkata, where an unexpectedly large crowd at Salt Lake Stadium led to frustrations over crowd management. However, in Hyderabad, Messi participated in several engaging activities, including playing with children, taking photographs with fans, and greeting attendees from a VIP box during a local club match at Uppal Stadium.

Before reaching Delhi, Messi had a memorable evening in Mumbai, where he had the opportunity to interact with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and a number of current and former Indian footballers, as well as various celebrities and politicians at Wankhede Stadium. This gathering contributed to the memorable experiences of his tour in India.