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.
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.
World Cup – CONMEBOL Qualifiers – Argentina v Venezuela – Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina – September 4, 2025 Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
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.
FIFA have been urged to delay an upcoming 2026 World Cup fixture amid an increased risk of “heat related illness or even death” due to a dangerous heat wave.
All matches at this summer’s showpiece international tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico have featured three-minute hydration breaks, one in each half, to allow players to take on fluids in an effort to prevent overheating.
However, hydration breaks may not be sufficient for one upcoming last 16 clash at Lincoln Financial Field, otherwise known as the Philadelphia Stadium at the 2026 World Cup.
Heat Wave Threatens to Impact Last 16 Fixture
REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
Temperatures are set to his record highs in Philadelphia, where Paraguay and France go head-to-head on Saturday.
Per talkSPORT, the heat index, including humidity, is expected to be between 37 and 46 degrees Celsius (100F – 115 Fahrenheit) this weekend.
As things stand, France’s last 16 fixture against Paraguay is scheduled to get underway at 5pm local time (10pm BST). Temperatures are still expected to be dangerously high at this point in the day, sparking concern for players, officials and fans.
FIFA’s current heat guidelines state that matches are at risk of being postponed if the wet bulb temperature reaches 32 C (89 F). There’s currently a high chance this temperature will be exceeded when Kylian Mbappe and co. face their South American opponents at the 67,594-capacity stadium which is home to NFL side Philadelphia Eagles.
“When you’re exerting yourself on a particularly hot day, the likelihood of experiencing heat related illness or even death is much higher,” Bahart Venkat, director of the Heat Lab at the University of California, told the Associated Press.
It’s warned that intense exercise on such a hot day can lead to extreme fatigue, impaired performance, headache, irritability, nausea, dizziness, cramping and dehydration – all symptoms of exertional heat illness.
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FIFA Urged to Push Kick-Off Time Back
REUTERS/Mandel Ngan
Journalist Ian Nicholas Quillen has written an article for Forbes, urging FIFA to delay kick-off for Paraguay vs France.
“Let’s start with the obvious: This was entirely predictable when FIFA decided to engage in wishful thinking and schedule knockout phase matches outdoors on the East Coast during the middle of the day,” Quillen writes.
“Put bluntly, playing this fixture at its scheduled time will put players, fans and match officials at unnecessary risk. And even for TV viewers in the comfort of their own homes, it will significantly impact the product on the field.”
He adds: “But FIFA can still rectify its own mistake with relatively minimal consequences by preemptively delaying kick-off until the evening.”
Pushing the kick-off time back would mean “conditions would become considerably more playable just by delaying matches a few hours until the evening, when at least the impact of the sun could be mitigated.”
He warns that FIFA may find themselves in a similar predicament later in the knockout stages due to the risk of another heat wave impacting the north-east of the United States this month.
Following the game at Torono Stadium, Ronaldo made his way over to Modric and the two former teammates had a few words with each other before sharing an emotional embrace.
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo revealed what he said to the legendary midfielder. He said, per Manchester Evening News: “I played with Luka so many matches and we are nearly the same age. He is a legend of football.
“I said to him, ‘Congratulations for everything. I would love to see you again and all the best for the next years of your career’. It was nice to play him once again.”
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Luka Modric Rages at VAR After Portugal 2-1 Croatia
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Modric vented his frustrations at VAR following the match. He said, via Sportske Novosti: “We can look at the game in two parts, in the first half we were not at our best level, we were quite withdrawn, but in the second half we played a phenomenal game.
“That’s one of our better games. We could have easily finished it earlier, but we didn’t manage it. We missed, and then some things happened that are unbelievable to me.
“What is, is there. It’s hard to say what is smart after the game, I don’t want to say something wrong. We can be proud of how we played the second half; we deserved more, but simply, football is like that. “
On the disallowed goal, he said: “He says Matanović touched the ball, but we watched the footage, there’s no evidence that he touched the ball. If he doesn’t touch the ball, it’s not offside.”
He added: “Some things didn’t go our way. That penalty… If it were the other way around, VAR would never have been involved.
“I said about VAR in the beginning, when it was first introduced, that I didn’t like it. Later, over time, it’s good for some things, but they use it incorrectly or use it selectively, or depending on the size of the team.
“VAR should intervene if it’s 200 per cent a mistake, but if it’s not, if it’s in the grey zone, you have no say in it. There’s no point in calling VAR.
“This is no penalty. Both teams are replaying, pushing, Vlašić didn’t pull it, he held it, and both of them fell. That’s why you can’t judge a penalty like that in a game like this.
“That’s why I say, it has to be used if the mistake is 200 per cent. If you can treat something this way or that, you have no say in it.
“That annoys me and always works to our detriment. What is, it is, let’s move on, we won’t complain about it, but of course, some things bother me because fate decides.
“They decide the mood for everything you do, what you give up, you tear yourself apart, you fight. There are young players who come here, and then you do something like this to them… You are to blame for that, and it is always to our detriment.”
Joao Palhinha has confirmed that he won’t be a Tottenham Hotspur player next season following a big U-turn by manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Tottenham have been the busiest Premier League club by far in the summer transfer window, with Sandro Tonali set to become their sixth addition imminently after Spurs agreed a club-record £100m fee with Newcastle United for the Italy international.
The 26-year-old follows fellow midfielder Mateus Fernandes through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has meant that De Zerbi has had to backtrack on his previous comments.
The Italian boss had previous said that Palhinha was someone he ‘100%’ wanted to sign this summer, after the Portugal international played a huge part in the club’s survival last season.
Palhinha scored two crucial goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton during the run-in, and while Tottenham didn’t take up the option they had to sign him on a permanent basis, it was expected that they would try and renegotiate the terms.
However, the north Londoners have now turned their back on a deal for the Bayern Munich star, having landed both Fernandes and Tonali for their midfield in big-money deals.
