Mumbai, Dec 17: Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan gave her sons Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan a memorable experience as she introduced them to global football icon Lionel Messi during his whirlwind India visit. Kareena shared glimpses of the special moment on social media, calling it a meeting with “the boys’ hero”.
Messi’s India tour covered four major cities Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad beginning in Kolkata, where chaos erupted after a poorly organised public interaction led to vandalism at the stadium by disappointed fans. Despite the initial hiccup, the football legend received an overwhelming response from fans across the country.
Kareena later emerged as the only Bollywood celebrity to feature in Messi’s official Instagram post from his GOAT India Tour 2025. Several other film stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, also met Messi during his visit.
Sharing a video montage from the tour, Messi wrote, “Namaste India! What incredible visits to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Thanks for the warm welcome, great hospitality and all the expressions of love throughout my tour. I hope football has a bright future in India!”
Reposting the clip on her Instagram story, Kareena wrote, “Ok Tim then this happened. For you,” followed by a red heart emoji.
For the meeting, Kareena was seen wearing a stylish brown dress, while Taimur and Jeh were dressed in football jerseys. Taimur’s jersey had Messi’s name printed on the back, while Jeh sported an “Argentina” jersey, paying tribute to the World Cup-winning team.
The moment quickly went viral, with a Reddit user sharing the clip and commenting that Messi had included only Kareena from Bollywood in his official post, sparking mixed reactions online.
Meanwhile, Messi also visited Vantara, the wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre in Jamnagar founded by Anant Ambani. He was accompanied by his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant personally guided Messi around the facility, with photos and videos from the visit widely shared on social media.
The Argentine footballer was welcomed with traditional rituals, folk music and floral greetings. He was seen participating in a ceremonial aarti and interacting with staff working on the ground.
Reacting to the visit, Messi praised the initiative, saying, “What Vantara does is truly beautiful the work for animals, the care they receive, the way they are rescued and looked after. It is genuinely impressive.”
