How much did Lionel Messi earn from India tour? Organiser shares details

Lionel Messi’s tour organiser has revealed the payment the Argentine football star received for his three-day visit to India, which began with a chaotic reception in Kolkata.

Messi visited Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi, accompanied by teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, participating in fan events. He also visited Gujarat’s Jamnagar before concluding the tour.

Tour organiser Satadru Dutta told investigators that Messi was paid ₹890 million, while the Indian government received ₹110 million in taxes, according to PTI sources. This placed the total expenditure for the tour at ₹1,000 million, with 30% funded by sponsors and another 30% from ticket sales.

Thousands of spectators had purchased high-priced tickets for the Salt Lake Stadium event. However, Messi was surrounded by a crowd on the field, making him barely visible from the galleries. Fans later vandalised parts of the stadium in anger.

The West Bengal government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising senior IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and Muralidhar, to investigate vandalism, security lapses, and access violations during the event.

Dutta claimed only 150 ground passes were initially issued, but the number tripled after a "very influential person" reached the stadium, disrupting crowd control. SIT officials are probing whether this contributed to the chaos.

The organiser also told investigators that Messi did not like being touched or hugged, a concern conveyed in advance by his foreign security team. Despite repeated announcements to restrain the crowd, the footballer was surrounded and embraced, prompting him to leave early.

Visuals showed Sports Minister Aroop Biswas in close proximity to Messi, even holding him around the waist for photographs. Biswas is accused of allowing relatives and acquaintances access to the footballer. Amid criticism, he resigned pending the investigation.

Dutta disclosed that over ₹200 million was found in his frozen bank accounts, reportedly from ticket sales and sponsorships. Authorities are verifying his claims.