Lionel Messi embraced Indian culture and performed various rituals during his visit to Vantara in Jamnagar. Clips have come out of the Argentine performing the Shiv Abhishek as well as chanting various mantras and praying.
Lionel Messi won hearts as he took up local traditions on his visit to India over the week alongside Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, as the Argentina footballers visited four Indian cities with events at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, and Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium before visiting Jamnagar, where he visited Vantara, a wildlife rescue and conservation centre operated by Anant Ambani
In visuals released by Reliance Industries of the visit, Messi was seen taking a tour of the facility and having a fun interaction with the animals. Moreover, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also visited temples in the city alongside Anant and his wife, Radhika, and performed religious rituals.
In visuals that have gone viral on social media, Messi was seen praying and chanting various mantras like ‘Jai Mata Di’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ while also performing Shiv Abhishek.
Lionel Messi’s Special Words For India
“Namaste India! What incredible visits to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. Thanks for the warm welcome, great hospitality and all the expressions of love throughout my tour. I hope football has a bright future in India!,” wrote Messi on Instagram while posting a clip of events he did in the four cities.
During the last event in Delhi, Messi also gave a speech to the fans and promised to return while expressing his delight at seeing the love of Indian fans.
“Well, I just want to thank everyone for the love and affection during these days in India. In fact, it was a truly beautiful experience for us to be able to share it. And although it was short and intense, it was wonderful to receive all this love that I knew existed, but receiving it directly was amazing. It was a crazy experience, everything they did for us these days. So, we carry all this love with us, and we will definitely return, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India. Thank you very much,” said Messi in an event.