Messi arrives in Mumbai for day 2 of ''GOAT Tour''

MUMBAI: Football icon Lionel Messi arrived in Mumbai around noon under "World Cup level" security measures on Sunday, marking the second day of his four-city 'GOAT India Tour 2025'.

The World Cup-winning Argentine captain is scheduled to head to the Taj Colaba for a brief rest before proceeding to the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium), where he will attend a Padel GOAT Club event, followed by a celebrity football match later in the afternoon.

Accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, Messi is expected to arrive at the iconic Wankhede Stadium around 5 pm for the main event of the 'GOAT India Tour'.

Mumbai Police have put in place stringent security arrangements, including restrictions on carrying water bottles, metal objects and coins inside the venues, while watchtowers have also been set up to monitor the crowd.

Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 personnel in and around both the venues.

"Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," a police official said.

Messi had arrived in India in the wee hours of Saturday, but the opening leg of the tour in Kolkata quickly descended into chaos later in the day due to poor crowd management and security lapses.

However, his evening programme in the Hyderabad leg stood in stark contrast to the mayhem in Kolkata, proceeding smoothly and concluding on a positive note.