December 15 India’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, along side footballers Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul where Jay Shah met with the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairperson. Shah was among the only dignitaries invited to greet Messi & Co at the venue, where it was the trio’s fourth and final stop on the GOAT India tour.
In a very big scene at the Arun Jaitley, Jay Shah presented Messi with a bat encased in glass, signed by members of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad, who won the tournament under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Shah, who was previously the BCCI secretary, also handed the three South American footballers with Indian jerseys with matching jersey numbers printed on the back.
Check photos Jay Shah meeting Lionel Messi here:
🏏⚽️ In a rare crossover moment for global sport, ICC Chairman Jay Shah met football icon Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul and presented them with #TeamIndia jerseys and a signed bat by the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 winning Indian team in New Delhi.@JayShah |… pic.twitter.com/C4uJEJBna1
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 15, 2025For the uninitiated, Messi visited Mumbai on December 14. During the visit, his spectacular meeting with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar drew thunderous acclaim from everyone in attendance at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in the City of Dreams. Soon after, Sachin’s photograph with Messi — in which the Indian great presented his India jersey — went viral on social media. As a result, fans of both sporting icons flooded platforms with praise, heaping admiration on the celebrated duo.
On Day 1 of the tour, Messi and his teammates visited Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Many fans on social media also rated Mumbai’s reception as the best, citing the extended time the footballers spent at the venue and the smooth way organisers handled the event.
Speaking of Messi, and like him, he ranks among the greatest players the game has ever seen. Over the years, he claimed numerous major league titles with elite clubs such as FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. Ultimately, he sealed his legacy at the 2022 World Cup, lifting the trophy as Argentina’s captain in a moment that quite literally crowned his career.
