Watch: Lionel Messi Remains Calm As Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff Booed By Crowd At Wankhede Stadium
Mumbai fans, eager to see Lionel Messi, expressed their displeasure at celebrity interruptions by loudly booing Tiger Shroff and Ajay Devgn.
Argentine football legend Lionel Messi arrived in Mumbai on Sunday as part of his G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025. While the city was entranced by his presence, the event at the Wankhede Stadium witnessed a mix of starry excitement and crowd hostility. While the event saw a heavy turnout of Bollywood celebrities, genuine football fans were reportedly unhappy. Feeling that the extended interactions with celebrities were eating into their time with Messi, the crowd’s patience wore thin.
Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff was invited on stage and introduced as a youth icon associated with Project Mahadeva, a football development initiative aimed at training talent across Maharashtra. As he was being felicitated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, a section of the audience began booing and disrupting the program.
The hostility continued when Ajay Devgn was called on stage. The actor was being honoured for his film ‘Maidaan’, a biopic on legendary coach Syed Abdul Rahim that highlighted Indian football history. Despite the relevance, he faced a similar negative reaction from the crowd.
Videos of the booing went viral. One user on X (formerly Twitter) noted, “The crowd had purely come to see Messi and Indian legends like Tendulkar and Chhetri.”
Check out the videos here:
at wankhede stadium fans didn’t come to cheer bollywood celebrities or politicians. They're came for the messi and sports and made it clear by booing the tiger shroff and ajay devgan 😭😭 . Respect for the CROWD pic.twitter.com/jPY9PtrWmi
— Pikachu (@11eleven_4us) December 14, 2025
No way Devendra Fadnavis felicitated Ajay Devgan and Tiger Shroff in front of Lionel Messi Suarez and Rodrigo 😭😭
— Himanshu (@meri_mrziii) December 14, 2025
The crowd started booing and This were their reactions 😭#Messi #MessiInIndia pic.twitter.com/UPU9foNNkB
Announcer - Please welcome youth icon Tiger Shroff
— Vinesh Prabhu (@vlp1994) December 14, 2025
Crowd - BOOOOOOOO!!!
Surprisingly, even Ajay Devgn was booed
The crowd had purely come to see Messi and Indian legends like Tendulkar and Chhetri pic.twitter.com/ApsbqSWfY2
The Chief Minister also faced a hostile response while addressing the audience. However, he managed to quieten the crowd by invoking “Ganpati Bappa”, prompting the audience to chant back “Morya”.
Throughout the chaotic moments, Lionel Messi maintained a calm and professional demeanour, standing patiently and smiling.
The mood inside the stadium improved significantly when Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar joined Messi on stage for a special interaction.
After watching the events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.
— GillTheWill (@GillTheWill77) December 14, 2025
It was clear that while Messi met many celebrities, he seemed to ignore most of them. but when he met Sachin Tendulkar, the respect was unmistakable.
A true GOAT recognizing another GOAT 🐐pic.twitter.com/QVJVstLkFQ
Sunil Chhetri receiving loud chants at the Wankhede was a beautiful moment to witness, he truly deserves every bit of that recognition for what he has done for Indian football.
— GillTheWill (@GillTheWill77) December 15, 2025
One thing about Mumbai is that it knows how to respect sport and sporting icons, and the event stood… pic.twitter.com/nsBrQ7nMAK
Despite the stadium drama, several Bollywood stars had memorable personal interactions with the legend.
Kareena Kapoor Khan: The actress, who has often spoken about her sons’ love for the footballer, took Taimur and Jeh to meet their hero. Shahid Kapoor was also in attendance, accompanied by his daughter, Misha Kapoor.
Star Power x Football Fever: Shahid–Kareena Attend Messi’s GOAT India Tour Mumbai⚽✨🤩
— Tellychakkar.com (@tellychakkar) December 14, 2025
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.#shahidkapoor #Kareenakapoor #messi #lionelmessi #GOATIndiaTour #bollywood #Tellychakkar #tcx pic.twitter.com/Fi85FTi7us
Actress Geeta Basra was also spotted at the event. What’s Next? After visiting Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, Lionel Messi is now heading to New Delhi. The final leg of his tour is scheduled to conclude in the capital on Monday, December 15.
