India, Dec. 13 -- Argentine football legend Lionel Messi captivated thousands of fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal in Hyderabad on Saturday during the second leg of his GOAT India Tour 2025.

Accompanied by Uruguay star Luis Suarez and Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, Messi briefly took part in an exhibition match along with Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy, entertaining the cheering crowd with ball juggles, shots on goal and by kicking footballs into the stands.

Messi arrived in Hyderabad under tight security, after the unruly crowd behaviour in Kolkata amid crowd management issues in his first stop. In contrast, the Hyderabad event passed off peacefully with elaborate arrangements ensuring smo...