Kareena Kapoor's son heartbroken over Lionel Messi's retirement announcement

The actress and Messi had previously met during the footballer’s three-day visit to India

Last updated:
Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor
Kareena Kapoor Khan poses with Argentine football legend Lionel Messi during his G.O.A.T India Tour, joined by her sons Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan.
Kareena Kapoor Khan poses with Argentine football legend Lionel Messi during his G.O.A.T India Tour, joined by her sons Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan.

Dubai: Kareena Kapoor has joined a host of celebrities reacting to Lionel Messi’s decision to retire from international football, revealing how deeply the Argentine legend’s departure has affected her football-loving family.

The Jab We Met actress took to Instagram Stories to repost a video featuring some of Messi’s most memorable moments on the football field. Expressing her admiration for the Argentina star, Kareena captioned the post: “Number 10 forever,” followed by red heart emojis.

She also shared a candid picture of one of her sons posing with his back to the camera, wearing a blue jersey bearing Messi’s iconic No. 10. It is unclear whether the picture shows her elder son Taimur or younger son Jeh, as both boys had previously been seen wearing Messi jerseys during their meeting with the football legend.

Kareena was among the Indian celebrities who reacted to Messi’s retirement announcement after the Argentine icon confirmed on August 31 that he would step away from international football.

The actress and Messi had previously met during the footballer’s three-day promotional visit to India in December 2025. Kareena had taken Taimur and Jeh to a special meet-and-greet with the football star and later shared pictures from the memorable occasion on social media.

Before the meeting, she posted a picture of herself with her two sons, all seen from behind. Taimur was wearing a jersey with Messi’s name, while Jeh was dressed in an Argentina jersey.

Kareena was later spotted leaving Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium after meeting Messi, who was in the city as part of his India tour.

Messi’s retirement announcement has prompted an emotional response from footballers, fans and celebrities worldwide, with tributes pouring in for one of the sport’s most celebrated players.

With inputs from Agencies

Devadasan K P
Devadasan K PChief Visual Editor
Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 27 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.
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