Former India captain Sunil Chhetri said that whenever he feels down, Lionel Messi’s art on a football field acts as an antidote. Chhetri met and Messi on Sunday in the Mumbai leg of the recently concluded GOAL Tour, which wrapped up in New Delhi on Monday.
The Indian footballer also shared that he almost didn’t make it to the event die to an injury but ultimately the fan in him won over and he took part in the memorable evening where the Argentine star also shared the stage with Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar.
“The build-up to Saturday was filled with little fights, and in a rare win, Sunil Chhetri the fan beat Sunil Chhetri the pro, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’ve been nursing an injury that’s restricted me to a hobble and needless to say, I don’t like being around even myself when I’m spending more time on the physios table than the pitch,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I almost didn’t make the trip to Mumbai, till the fan in me rebelled and went anyway. Turned out, meeting the man who makes me very happy, and whose art is my antidote for all the times I am sad, was exactly what I needed. To be able to express my gratitude to @leomessi in person for everything that he has done for our sport, felt like both – a dream and a duty. It was lovely to meet another World Cup winner in Rodrigo De Paul, and then there was the child-like excitement to share the frame with arguably the most complete No.9 of our generation – Luis Suarez,” he added.
The Lionel Messi GOAT India Tour that began in shambolic fashion ended in a blaze of glory as the football icon promised to return after giving his fans a lifetime of memories in just 30 minutes on Monday.
“Well, I just want to thank everyone for the love and affection during these days in India. In fact, it was a truly beautiful experience for us to be able to share it,” Messi told the crowd.
“And although it was short and intense, it was wonderful to receive all this love that I knew existed, but receiving it directly was amazing. It was a crazy experience, everything they did for us these days. So, we carry all this love with us, and we will definitely return, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India. Thank you very much,” he added.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd