Footballs for fans, rondo with kids, autographs aplenty. Happy ending to Messi's India tour

Lionel Messi wrapped up his G.O.A.T India Tour with a pleasant outing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday. The fourth and final leg was devoid of any drama, certainly not as chaotic as the opener in Kolkata on Saturday that witnessed unruly scenes.

In a little over 30 minutes, Messi entertained a packed house, played rondo with academy kids, posed for pictures, signed autographs, kicked footballs into the crowd and even delivered a speech in Spanish. It was a perfect end to a three-day promotional event.

"I want to thank everyone for the love and affection during these days in India," Messi said. "We carry this love with us, and we will definitely return. Hopefully, one day we will play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India. Thank you very much," he said.

Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, good friends of Messi and fellow international stars, tagged along like trusted lieutenants. The trio had attended similar events in Hyderabad and Mumbai over the last two days, waving to football fans, who had arrived wearing a variety of Messi shirts, in the colours of Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami and of course, the famous blue and white of Argentina. A few lucky ones got footballs kicked high into the stands by Messi, Suarez and RDP.

Messi smiled and obliged anyone who approached him for a selfie or an autograph, but he appeared natural in front of young footballers. He shook hands with some and high-fived some. The trio also met former India captains Bhaichung Bhutia and Aditi Chauhan. Messi and his friends interacted with Bhutia and Chauhan, with the latter also getting autographs on her jersey.

Jay Shah, Chairman of International Cricket Council, presented the trio with Team India shirts with their names and numbers. Messi got No 10, Surarez's shirt had No 9 on its back and RDP's had No 7. Messi was also presented with a framed cricket bat that featured autographs, presumably of Indian cricketers.