Corporate Heads Pay Rs 1 Cr for Messi Meet?

Messi’s meet with PM Modi called off

The final leg of Lionel Messi’s three-day GOAT Tour faced a setback after his Mumbai–New Delhi flight was delayed by nearly an hour due to bad weather in the capital on Monday, leading to the cancellation of his proposed meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Messi is likely to meet Indian sporting stars for free, including Rohit Sharma, Sumit Antil, Nikhat Zareen and Virat Kohli.

However, what has set Delhi buzzing is a rumour that select corporate heads will get the chance to shake hands with Messi at The Leela Palace, where he is staying with his team — at a price. Each handshake reportedly costs Rs 1 crore, a fee that several corporates are said to be more than willing to pay for a fleeting moment with the legend.

In Falaknuma, selfie with Messi flops

While everyone is praising the state government for organising the Messi event without any glitches, what has left a sour taste is the “selfie with Messi at Rs 10 lakh” plan. About 60 people paid up — some paid Rs 25 lakh for the family picture — but it was a no-show. Messi arrived, was whisked away to another separate room where all the politicians were waiting to meet him, Rahul Gandhi and his niece and nephew too were present. So Messi was late by over an hour for the Rs 10-lakh selfie and he just left after posing with a few.

The organisers too ran away with him to the stadium. Those who paid lakhs are livid and plan to sue the organisers for compensation.

Did Kareena pay Rs 40 lakh?

Kareena Kapoor Khan is said to be the only Bollywood celebrity who managed a personal meet-and-greet with Lionel Messi —and that too at a cost. According to sources, the actor paid Rs 20 lakh each for her sons, Taimur and Jeh, to shake hands with Messi.

A close friend of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena reveals, “This opportunity came up at a bank-hosted event where select guests were offered a meet-and-greet with Messi for Rs 20 lakh. Kareena’s sons are huge football fans and adore Messi, so she took it up. The boys were thrilled. Everyone went home happy.”

Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff booed

Bollywood glamour backfired at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, December 14, during the third phase of Messi’s India tour. Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff were invited on stage to join Lionel Messi during a felicitation ceremony hosted by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Shroff was included for his interest in football and his association with Project Mahadeva, a grassroots initiative to nurture young football talent in Maharashtra. Devgn was honoured for his association with football through the film Maidaan.

The attempt to add Bollywood star power to Messi’s moment, however, went horribly wrong. As Devgn and Shroff joined the football legend on stage, sections of the crowd broke into loud boos — an unmistakable signal that, on this night, Bollywood was no match for Messi.