A 10/10 Evening: Mumbai Showers Love on Lionel Messi and Sachin Tendulkar

Mumbai witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime sporting moment as two global icons, Lionel Messi and Sachin Tendulkar, shared the same stage during the Argentine star’s GOAT Tour in India. The meeting of football’s greatest and cricket’s most celebrated legend turned Sunday evening into an unforgettable celebration of sport, emotion and mutual respect.

The Wankhede Stadium was the venue of the third leg of Messi's India tour to bring about the emotional high and it was a city mad about cricket that momentarily put its first love on hold to pay a tribute to a great footballer. The night was so nicely planned out by the organizers and the fans' overwhelming warmth that the event turned out to be a landmark in Indian sports history.

Messi looked very emotional by the reception he got. Even before he was in the city, Mumbai was already dressed in blue and white, with Argentina shirts everywhere - in the streets, local trains and the stadium. The spectators were all that's left and they were patiently waiting to be part of a historic night.

Tendulkar was at the center of the spectacle, expecting an interaction that was years in the making. When Tendulkar gifted Messi his famous India jersey from the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the moment became exceptionally memorable. Messi greeted the legendary cricketer with a bright smile and a sturdy handshake, which was a silent communication of respect between the two greats.

The Wankhede stadium celebrated with its loudest cheers at the same time chanting "Messi" and "Sachin." Thus for a short time, the two sports, cricket and football, were one in their tempo, thanks to the fans.

Messi earlier made a delightful show of how he could charm even more than one person at a time while being on the field with his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul. The trio was later joined by Tendulkar thus it was the first public meeting between the two legends on the tour. By saying "hello" in a special way, Messi took to gifting a World Cup ball to Tendulkar which was nothing but a reflection of the legendary duo's respect for one another.

Sunil Chhetri, the Indian football legend, was also gifted an exclusive jersey from Messi after his participation in an exhibition match while the 60 youngsters who were selected under Maharashtra's 'Project Mahadeva' grassroots program had an unforgettable coaching clinic with Messi and his co-players.

The function witnessed the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and was a complete opposite to the riotous scenes that had accompanied Messi's previous tour stop in Kolkata. In a very touching manner, the Mumbai crowd participants were seen giving several rounds of applause to the police for the perfect crowd control, and the video of this incident soon went viral on different social media platforms.

Mumbai's flawless urbane hospitality was worth making the evening a perfect illustration in the memory and annals of Indian sports' day.