Sports
Lionel Messi Recieves Ultra-Rare $1.1 Million Gift From Indian Billionaire
All things considered, Lionel Messi’s “GOAT Tour” of India has been something of a PR disaster. However, the World Cup winner has also been reminded of the affection he receives from all corners of the world after being gifted an ultra-rare present by an Indian billionaire. The first day of his visit to the South Asian country ended in chaos, with angry fans vandalising the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
The event had been billed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Messi’s Asian fanbase to see the former Barcelona star in person, but proceedings quickly descended into bedlam. Fans reportedly threw objects, ripped up seats, invaded the pitch and damaged the stage after Messi made only a brief 20-minute appearance. He was largely shielded from view by heavy security, with only the wealthiest businessmen and politicians given a genuine chance to meet him. Watch the incident below:
Tickets for his lap of honour and the unveiling of a statue in his likeness reportedly cost around £100, and the class divide has continued along his route through Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. Still, despite the disruption caused during the tour, the experience may ultimately feel worthwhile for the record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner after receiving a gift worth an absolute fortune.
Lionel Messi’s ‘GOAT Tour’ of India Erupts in Chaos as Angry Fans Vandalise Stadium
The 38-year-old still has three more stops in his “GOAT Tour” across India.
Lionel Messi Receives Ultra-rare Gift in India
During his visit, Mukesh Ambani’s son, Anant, gifted Messi an ultra-rare RM 003-V2 GMT Tourbillon “Asia Edition”, priced at approximately £825,000. The watch is said to be a limited edition, with only 12 pieces available globally. The Ambani scion himself was wearing one of the most exclusive Richard Mille watches ever, the Piece Unique RM 056 Sapphire Tourbillon. See below:
The millionaire Vantara founder hosted the 38-year-old at his wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre, where Messi’s time was marked by guided tours, traditional rituals and close interactions with wildlife.
Accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, he was welcomed in grand traditional style with vibrant folk music, a shower of flowers symbolising blessings and purity of intent, and a ceremonial aarti (a significant Hindu and Sikh ritual of worship).
According to India Today, the Argentine great also took part in a Maha Aarti at the temple, including Ambe Mata Puja, Ganesh Puja, Hanuman Puja and Shiv Abhishek, offering prayers for world peace and unity in keeping with India’s timeless philosophy of harmony with nature.
Rightly regarded as the greatest footballer ever, it’s no surprise that, even though Messi is being gifted super expensive items, he himself is also rich through his earnings on and off the pitch. He is the second highest-paid footballer in the world right now, with his £96.7 million total annual earnings bettered only by Cristiano Ronaldo.
|
Lionel Messi’s income breakdown |
|
|---|---|
|
Per Hour |
£11,038 |
|
Per Day |
£264,931 |
|
Per Week |
£1,790,740 |
|
Per Month |
£8,058,000 |
|
Per year off-field |
£52m |
|
Per year on-field |
£44.6m |
|
Per year (total) |
£96.7m |
Off the pitch, Messi has built an impressive portfolio of partnerships, including deals with Adidas, Apple TV, and Konami, and has more than 500 million Instagram followers. But he’s certainly not the kind to take his latest gift for granted.
Estadio Azteca, temporarily renamed Mexico City Stadium for the 2026 World Cup, sits well over 2,000 metres above sea level in the district of Southern Mexico City. It plays host to the Mexico National team as well as Liga MX side Club America.
Estadio Azteca is the highest stadium of all 16 venues used at the 2026 World Cup by a wide margin, and one of the most storied grounds in football history, having hosted three separate World Cups, a feat that no other stadium can claim.
So, what is the altitude of the stadium and what are the effects? GIVEMESPORT takes a look.
What is the Altitude of Estadio Azteca?
|
Stadium: |
Estadio Azteca |
|---|---|
|
City: |
Mexico City, Mexico |
|
Capacity: |
87,523 |
|
Altitude: |
2,200m (7,218ft) |
|
Map: |
Estadio Azteca sits at 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) above sea level, which makes it the highest altitude stadium in North America.
How Does the Azteca Compare to Other Stadiums?
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Azteca is high by 2026 World Cup standards, but modest next to South America’s true altitude giants, several of which sit above FIFA’s old 2,500m threshold for international matches.
The highest altitude stadium in the world is Peru’s Estadio Daniel Alcides Carrion, which sits an incredibls 4,338m above sea level, nearly twice as high as the Azteca.
You can see a list of some of the highest stadiums below for comparison.
|
Stadium |
City/Country |
Altitude |
|---|---|---|
|
Estadio Daniel Alcides Carrion |
Cerro de Pasco, Peru |
4,338m (14,232ft) |
|
El Alto Municipal (Villa Ingenio) |
El Alto, Bolivia |
4,088m (13,410ft) |
|
Estadio Hernando Siles |
La Paz, Bolivia |
3,600m (11,800ft) |
|
Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa |
Quito, Ecuador |
2,850m (9,350ft) |
|
El Campin |
Bogota, Colombia |
2,550m (8,370ft) |
|
Estadio Azteca |
Mexico City, Mexico |
2,200m (7,200ft) |
Why FIFA Has Different Names for World Cup Stadiums
Eagle-eyed fans may be confused as to why there are different names for the World Cup arenas than usual – the answer is frighteningly simple.
Does Altitude Give Mexico an Advantage?
The short answer is yes, it’s a very big advantage. The national team have lost just twice in 89 competitive matches at the stadium, and has gone unbeaten there for well over a decade — a record few nations can touch on home soil anywhere in the world.
As per The Guardian, Mexican football commissioner Mikel Arriola: “We have a massive advantage because we’re playing at the Estadio Azteca with our fans and the altitude. It is a very potent setting.”
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Thinner air at 2,200m means less resistance on the ball, so it travels faster and dips less than at sea level – a wrinkle that can catch out goalkeepers and defenders unfamiliar with the conditions.
More significantly, it means less oxygen in every breath, which hits visiting players hardest in the legs and lungs: heart rates climb quicker, sprints are harder to repeat, and pressing intensity drops off as the game wears on — exactly the kind of high-tempo football most European and South American sides are built to play.
There’s no quick fix for it either, with sports scientists generally agreeing that two to three weeks at altitude is needed to meaningfully boost red blood cell production and oxygen-carrying capacity — a luxury a tight tournament schedule doesn’t allow.
Some squads, like South Korea, base themselves in elevated cities to adapt to the conditions, whilst teams like Colombia arrive with a natural edge from training at similar altitude levels back home. But those flying in directly from sea level are faced with a rough opening half, and are advised to hydrate heavily and avoid overexertion in their first 24 hours in the city.
What Have Players and Coaches Said?
The altitude conversation resurfaces every time a lowland side draws Mexico, and the 2026 World was no exception.
Ahead of facing Mexico in the Round of 16 at the Azteca, England manager Thomas Tuchel told the BBC: “The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it. And in four days, it’s just impossible. More obstacles may come, we are ready for that.”
My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude. That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have. We have only three days in between these matches. Its physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude, which is quite high.”
Former West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker is one of few English players to have played at the Azteca stadium, and is fully aware of the challenges sides face, saying:
“It’s the most physically demanding place I have ever played football. To come from Europe and play in that altitude is so difficult. You cannot catch your breath. The first 45 to 55 minutes, you’re just trying to keep breathing.”
Senior Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University, Dr Barney Wainwright, also told the BBC: “Maximum aerobic capacity at this kind of altitude usually drops around 10%, and that has a knock-on to performance. There will usually be a 15–20% increase in fatigue. For the distance it’s possible to cover, we would expect that to drop by 5-10%.
“Maximum sprint speeds won’t be affected, but players will need to wait a bit longer to recover from each one and go again. England might want to slow things down more to allow players time to recover between bouts of high-intensity play.”
Whether it is the intense home atmosphere, Mexico’s quality, the high altitude, or a combination of the three. One thing for certain is that the Azteca Stadium is one of the most difficult environments in world football, with visiting sides at a disadvantage before a ball has been kicked.
World Cup on GIVEMESPORT
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Behind-the-scenes footage has emerged from the UFC‘s historic Freedom 250 card at the White House, revealing the one thing that President Donald Trump hated about the event.
Headlined by the UFC Lightweight Championship unification fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, the show was commissioned as a joint celebration of both the 250th anniversary and Trump’s 80th birthday. It even took place on June 14th, the day the President was born.
However, while Trump loved the show overall, calling it one of “the greatest ever” afterwards, there was one element of the event he really wasn’t happy with.
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With the fights taking place on the South Lawn of the White House, space was always going to be limited. Trump, though, seemingly wasn’t fully on board with the reality of just how limited the numbers would be.
In footage shot before the event, Trump told a crowd of reporters: “We’ll have an arena of 8,000 [people]” watching the event live.
Wanting somebody to back up that number, the President bellowed: “Where are the UFC people?”
When UFC Executive Producer Craig Borsari made himself known to Trump, he had some bad news to share with the controversial politician.
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Telling Trump he could have less than a third of his desired attendance, Borsari noted:
“Right now, the current infrastructure that we have is only about 2,500 [people].”
Trump couldn’t hide his frustration at the number as he fumed: “That’s terrible!”
Sensing the President’s anger, Borsari reasoned: “But, we can go a level up, and start to get into the 3,500 range?” If he had hoped to fully satisfy Trump with the extra 1,000 seats, it didn’t work.
“Oh, but you say you’re not talking about the six or seven thousand,” he replied in an annoyed tone.
Trump later voiced his own ideas for expanding the capacity of the event. In a sit-down interview, he stated:
“My concept was right, smack at the front door of The White House. Build it as big as you can. You know we’re a little confined because of trees and these beautiful plantings and everything else, so not easy.”
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Trump appeared to give Borsari full permission to do whatever he saw fit to make the request a reality.
“You can build it as big as you want, there’s no problem.”
In reality, on fight night, Borsari managed to make room for an estimated 4,300 attendees. No tickets were sold to the public, with the majority of those in attendance being either invited guests or military personnel.
Trump may not have got his way in terms of a larger attendance at the White House itself, but the company did manage to accomodate 80,000 spectators at the Elipse in the shadow of the venue.
As impressive as that number is, though, it’s clearly not quite what Trump really wanted.
Tottenham Hotspur have been incredibly active in the transfer window so far this summer, but they have now pulled the plug on one deal according to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.
Spurs have already brought in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka on free transfers, while they also signed Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton and broke their club-record to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham in an £85m deal.
The club also agreed a £100m deal to sign Newcastle star Sandro Tonali this week, cementing their ambitions to climb up the table after back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, but they have now backed out of a deal for another signing.
Tottenham Pull Out of Move to Sign Palhinha
Tottenham are pushing to strengthen their squad, and new manager Roberto De Zerbi had previously stated that he wanted the club to retain Portugal international Joao Palhinha as part of the squad following his loan spell in 2025/26.
The holding midfielder was described as ‘one of the best’ by the Italian coach, and had made a return to north London his priority for this window despite having agreed terms with Sporting CP over a potential move, with Bayern Munich desperate to cash in on a permanent deal.
But after completing a deal for Fernandes and agreeing terms over a move for Tonali, Spurs have now pulled the plug on any return.
“Joao Palhinha is set to return to FC Bayern for now,” Plettenberg wrote. “The Tottenham deal is now 100% off following the signings of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
“A possible move to Sporting is also complicated due to Bayern’s asking price. There are further interested clubs. Talks are ongoing.”
Tottenham Make Right Decision
Palhinha proved what everyone already knew last season with his performances. The 30-year-old is a strong defensive player, who covers ground well, but has limitations with his passing.
The fact that he scored the goals that ultimately kept Spurs in the Premier League may have made the sentiment of keeping him at the club difficult to ignore, but ultimately they have signed major upgrades on him now, and it makes sense to let him leave.
With Tonali and Fernandes joining the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Pape Matar Sarr in the squad, there is no space for Palhinha and it makes sense to put that money towards strengthening other areas of the squad instead.
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