Mumbai: Football icon Lionel Messi arrived at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. The Argentine great was joined by fellow footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff were in attendance, setting the atmosphere for Messi’s much-anticipated Mumbai appearance at the historic venue.

Messi shares a warm moment with Sunil Chhetri, hugging the Indian footballer at Wankhede.

Earlier in the day Messi arrived in Mumbai around noon under "World Cup level" security measures, marking the second day of his four-city 'GOAT India Tour 2025'.

The World Cup-winning Argentine captain headed to the Taj Colaba for a brief rest and later proceeded to the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium).

Mumbai Police have put in place stringent security arrangements, including restrictions on carrying water bottles, metal objects and coins inside the venues, while watchtowers have also been set up to monitor the crowd.

Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 personnel in and around both the venues.

"Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," a police official said.

Messi had arrived in India in the wee hours of Saturday, but the opening leg of the tour in Kolkata quickly descended into chaos later in the day due to poor crowd management and security lapses.

However, his evening programme in the Hyderabad leg stood in stark contrast to the mayhem in Kolkata, proceeding smoothly and concluding on a positive note.

(with inputs from PTI)