00:00Messi's 4-city tour of India exposed four flavours of the same Indian habit.
00:09VIP entitlement in Kolkata, political bhakti in Hyderabad,
00:12bar circle vanity in Mumbai, smogged up anger in Delhi,
00:16all tied together by our obsession with worshipping stars instead of fixing the spot.
00:24The Delhi leg was the most Delhi thing imaginable.
00:27Messi arrives, applause, confetti, brick stadium energy,
00:31and the crowd turns the chief minister's entry into an air pollution protest with chants of
00:37It's almost poetic. In the capital, celebrity worship and civic rage can share the same microphone.
00:43The moment went viral because it was raw and brutally on brand.
00:46Delhi does not just celebrate, it also heckles.
00:49Mumbai did what Mumbai does.
00:53It made a global icon feel like he'd walked into an invite-only wedding reception
00:57where the bride and groom are influence and access.
01:01The stage filled up fast.
01:03Maharashtra Chief Minister Neemingar Farnavez, his wife, delegates, celebrity presence,
01:07big photo energy.
01:08Because in this city, the real sport is about who gets to stand roses when the cameras click.
01:13He was able to give one shot.
01:15He kept his wife and his wife.
01:17He kept his wife.
01:18The Kolkata leg of Messi's door exposed the brazenness of the powerful in that state.
01:21A spectacular protocol-first, public later mindset, extra VIP passes floating around,
01:26far more people on or near the field that originally cleared,
01:29and regular ticket holders left watching the backs of important people
01:32instead of the front of Lionel Messi.
01:34The crowd rage that followed in the city, also called the Mecca of Indian football,
01:37was not only embarrassing.
01:39It was hurtful at a deep emotional level as well.
01:51Hyderabad's leg was smoother, more organized, more,
01:53look ma, we can do international events too.
01:55But it also turned into a masterclass in Congress-style reverence
01:59because even a football carnival had to orbit Rahul Gandhi.
02:02Messi met Rahul Gandhi and gifted him a signed Argentina jersey,
02:05and Telemannan Achievement Sir Raven Dreddy publicly thanked Rahul for joining the event,
02:09like Rahul was the opening act and Messi was the chief guest at a party meeting.
02:12The chief minister had trained ahead of the match,
02:14and when he finally got a pass away,
02:16it wandered off so wide that Messi had to jog after it and collect the ball himself.
02:20Peak symbolism, months of planning, one tiny touch,
02:22and the goat still ends up doing the fixing.
02:25The real takeaway, this store did not just show Messi to India,
02:27it showed India to itself.
02:29We treated a football icon like a visiting deity.
02:31And in the process, we proved something deeply embarrassing.
02:34We can mobilize insane emotion for a guest star,
02:37but we don't bring even half that urgency to fixing our own football ecosystem.
02:42And that's why the saddest thing about the Goat India tour is this,
02:44Messi left with memories, India left with selfies.
02:48If you don't agree, tell me why in the comments.
02:49I'm Marisha Ligari.
02:51First things fast.
02:52No.
02:53No.
02:58No.
02:59That's what wound causing threat.
03:00Yeah.
03:01No.
03:02Nah.
03:03No.
03:04No.
03:05No.
03:06No.
03:07No.
03:08No.
03:09々la.
