Footballer Lionel Messi and Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy at Messi's GOAT India tour at RGI Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad Saturday, December 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G The much anticipated friendly football match featuring teams led by football great Lionel Messi and Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy turned into a spectacle on and off the field on Saturday (December 13) evening. Hours after the stadium horror in Kolkata, Hyderabad roared for Messi in a packed Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. A carnival air prevailed as thousands of fans of Messi waited for nearly four hours, entertained by a laser show, fireworks and flamethrowers. The stadium was packed with an audience estimated at 30,000, with thousands of them wearing the blue and white striped jerseys emblazoned with Messi waited with bated breath as Messi entered the premises of the stadium on schedule at 7.50 p.m. The spectators could not have asked for more. “I got goosebumps as Messi kicked the ball in my direction,” said Baipothu Ashwith, a Class X student who spent ₹5,800 to watch his idol and travelled from Kukatpally.
Published: December 13, 2025 4:25 pm
Source: The Hindu — Read original