New Delhi [India], December 19 : Indian spin wizard Kuldeep Yadav received an autographed jersey from Argentina football icon Lionel Messi during the latter's visit to the national capital as a part of his 'GOAT India Tour 2025'.
The official handle of Adidas India, in collaboration with other athletes signed to it like Kuldeep, India's two-time Paralympic javelin champion and World Para Athletic champion Sumit Antil, and two-time Paralympic medallist and World Championship gold medallist para high-jumper Nishad Singh, posted a picture of Kuldeep receiving a signed jersey from Messi.
In the pictures, Antil is seen posing with a javelin in hand alongside Messi, who was wearing India's T20 jersey. Also, India's boxing star Nikhat Zareen, ICC Women's World Cup-winning bowler Renuka Singh Thakur, and Nishad met the football legend. Messi was seen signing a cricket ball for Renuka and an Argentina jersey for Nishad.
Kuldeep is a well-known football fan with a vocal preference for FC Barcelona, a club that Messi represented for years before his stints with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and currently Inter Miami.
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Messi, along with footballers Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez, began his four-city GOAT Tour with Kolkata and then went to Hyderabad, followed by Mumbai and then Delhi on December 15.
In Delhi, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah presented jerseys of the Indian Cricket team to star footballers Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday. In Delhi, Messi also met Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President Rohan Jaitley.
Messi was presented with Team India's jersey bearing the number 10 by Jay Shah, while Luis Suarez received number 9 and Rodrigo de Paul was given number 7, each customised with their names. Shah also invited Messi to attend the upcoming T20 World Cup, handing him a ticket in what became a highlight of the final leg of the GOAT India Tour.
Concluding his tour, Messi travelled to Jamnagar, Gujarat, where he visited Vantara, the wildlife conservation and rehabilitation centre founded by Anant Ambani. He departed from Jamnagar on Tuesday.
Other major highlights of his visit were meeting Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri during the Mumbai leg of his tour, clicking pictures with them and also playing an exhibition match with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad, where he also met Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
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