Know why Virat Kohli didn't meet Lionel Messi during footballer's Delhi visit of 'GOAT India Tour' 2025

When star Indian batter, Virat Kohli, returned to India two days before the ‘GOAT India tour’ 2025 of the global footballer, Lionel Messi. Kohli was spotted with his Bollywood actor wife, Anushka Sharma, as the couple landed in Mumbai before they moved to Delhi on December 16 to spend some time with the family. Kohli returned to England after the end of the three-match ODI series against South Africa.

His return to the country sparked speculation over a possible meet-up with Messi, who arrived on December 13 in Kolkata before moving to Hyderabad in the evening. On the following day, the footballer made his way to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where he was in touch with Sachin Tendulkar, who gave him his Indian World Cup shirt.

On December 15, Messi moved to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, where he was gifted a special jersey by the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the current ICC chairman, Jay Shah, before meeting the young footballers and taking a picture with them.

Why did Virat Kohli not meet Lionel Messi in Delhi?

However, despite all the programs, Kohli didn’t turn up at the ground to meet Messi. This could be due to various reasons. He perhaps wasn’t invited to the event, or it could be the fact that Kohli is a huge fan and admirer of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. He frequently praised his work ethic, discipline, and mental strength, calling him a major inspiration in his career.

Kohli was in exceptional form in the recent ODI series at home against South Africa. He celebrated centuries in the first couple of clashes in Ranchi and Raipur before smashing a fine unbeaten half-century in the third game at Vizag as India bagged the series victory by a 2-1 margin.

Kohli is expected to feature for Delhi in a couple of games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Later, he will feature in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand early next year at home.