[WATCH] Virat Kohli’s India return fuels buzz around possible Lionel Messi meet

Former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has returned to India as famed player Lionel Messi’s highly anticipated GOAT India Tour begins. Kohli was photographed landing in Mumbai with his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, immediately after India’s three-match ODI series against South Africa ended, after which the star batter flew overseas.

Virat Kohli’s homecoming has immediately fuelled fan conjecture about a potential reunion between the two worldwide sporting icons.

Messi arrived in Kolkata on December 13 and is set to arrive in Mumbai on December 14, when he will attend a fan interaction session at the legendary Wankhede Stadium. With both players in Mumbai at the same time, social media has been buzzing with speculation about a potential Kohli-Messi meeting, something cricket and football fans have long yearned to see.

However, Messi’s first day in India did not go as expected. Thousands of fans had congregated at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, hoping to catch a sight of the Argentine superstar, but were disappointed when Messi reportedly left the venue within ten minutes of arriving. The brief appearance provoked discontent among the fans, which finally led to rioting within the stadium.

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma is back in Home In india pic.twitter.com/mEL4ILB83y

— Sahil Singhadiya (@SahilSinghadiya) December 13, 2025

Eyewitnesses revealed that Messi was unable to complete his planned lap around the ground due to severe congestion. As soon as he stepped onto the field, he was surrounded by politicians, event officials, celebrities, their family members and an overwhelming number of photographers. The situation quickly became unmanageable, forcing Messi’s security team to abandon the lap entirely, severely limiting his interaction with the general public.

As news spread through the stadium that Messi would not remain on the field for long, tensions began to rise among fans. Many had arrived early in the morning and paid premium ticket prices in the hope of a memorable experience. When Messi departed the field in under ten minutes, sections of the crowd reacted angrily, questioning the event’s planning and crowd management.

Bottles were reportedly thrown, hoardings were damaged and security personnel were forced to intervene as protests broke out inside the venue. The incident has raised concerns over event organisation and fan access during high-profile international tours, especially involving global superstars like Lionel Messi.