Two legends were seen bonding in front of the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium as local boy Sachin Tendulkar met Argentina’s Lionel Messi on Sunday. Messi was on his third stop of the GOAT India tour in Mumbai, where he was joined not only by Tendulkar but also Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri, along with other celebrities from the entertainment world.
The World Cup–winning Argentine skipper was accompanied by his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul. The trio arrived at the iconic Wankhede Stadium shortly after Tendulkar made his appearance at around 5:45pm.
Perhaps for the first time, chants of “Tendulkar, Tendulkar” were not dominating the stadium as the crowd instead cheered loudly for the Argentine footballer.
However, chants of “Sachin, Sachin” once again reverberated around the ground when the legendary cricketer came in to address the crowd.
Sachin Tendulkar on Messi:
Speaking at the venue, Tendulkar said, “I have spent some incredible moments here. A number of dreams have seen the finish line at this very venue. And without your support, we would never have seen those golden moments on this ground in 2011 (Cricket World Cup).”
“When it comes to Leo, what does one say about him? He has achieved everything. We really admire his dedication, determination and commitment,” he added.
Tendulkar also gifted Messi his 2011 World Cup jersey and called it a “golden moment” for Mumbai and India. Notably, Wankhede is the same stadium where the Men in Blue ended their 28-year drought to lift the World Cup.
Messi’s bromance with Sunil Chhetri:
The Argentine spent a considerable amount of time chatting with former India football team captain Sunil Chhetri. Messi even presented Chhetri with his Argentina jersey, which he also gifted to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Chhetri has been one of the biggest faces in Indian football for a long time and has scored 94 goals for the country. The footballer retired recently from international football, and fans acknowledged his contribution to the game as chants of “Chhetri… Chhetri” echoed around the stadium.
The star footballer also spent time interacting with members of Mitra Stars and India Stars, the two teams that played an exhibition match at the venue.
During the event, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also announced the launch of ‘Project Maha-Deva’, which aims to identify and develop young football players across the state.
