2 GOATS In 1 Frame! Wankhede Stands To Epic Lionel Messi, Sachin Tendulkar Meet
Lionel Messi walked out onto the same grass where a billion Indian dreams once learned to fly. Waiting for him was Sachin Tendulkar-the boy who became God.
- Lionel Messi and Sachin Tendulkar gathered together to charm the fans at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
- The two iconic No. 10s, who became God through their sporting greatness, exchange some special gifts
- Sachin gifted his India No. 10 jersey to Messi, who then gave him an official 2026 FIFA World Cup ball
World Cup winners and No. 10s-two sports, two humans who became God through their sporting greatness - Lionel Messi and Sachin Tendulkar gathered together to charm the fans at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and exchange some special gifts. A moment that will exist in still frames, footage, and as imprints in the minds of the fans forever. Today was the second day of Messi's 'GOAT' tour to India, and the football wiz was in the city of dreams-Mumbai, weaving magical moments.
As the Sun dipped behind Marine Drive and the lights at Wankhede Stadium burned brighter, Mumbai knew it was holding its breath for something bigger than sport. It was close to 7 PM, and the chants rose-not from one corner, but from every tier. Messi... Messi... Sachin... Sachin. There were two names, two religions (sport), one roar.
And then it happened. It was the moment every fan inside the Wankhede Stadium had waited with bated breath.
Lionel Messi walked out onto the same grass where a billion Indian dreams once learned to fly. Waiting for him was Sachin Tendulkar-the boy who became God, the one who carried a nation through three decades of hope. Cricket's GOAT met football's GOAT, right there on the venerated Wankhede pitch.
VIDEO | Maharashtra: Amid loud cheers, Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar gifts Argentine football icon Lionel Messi the 2011 World Cup jersey, calling it a golden moment for Mumbai and India.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 14, 2025
(Source: Third Party)
(Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos –… pic.twitter.com/GKIqReBoqa
There was a heavy, emotional, almost sacred pause as the two No. 10s, two careers that defined generations, stood side by side. Sachin, smiling with that familiar calm, handed over something far more than fabric: his 2011 World Cup-winning India jersey. A piece of Indian sporting history was passed from one legend to another. Messi received it gently, reverently, because he understood its weight. In return, he gifted Sachin the official 2026 FIFA World Cup ball-a symbol of football's future exchanged for cricket's greatest past. And the stadium erupted. Again.
Earlier in the evening, Messi had already charmed the packed crowd at Wankhede. He kicked footballs deep into the stands, did not deny fans in the upper tiers, scored an exhibition penalty, and shared laughs during a rondo with young girls alongside Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. Aspirants from Maharashtra walked away with certificates, knowing they had shared a pitch with immortals. Messi also inaugurated Project 'Maha-Deva', a Maharashtra government initiative to scout and train young footballers in FIFA-accredited academies.
But the evening belonged to the two number 10s-When Sachin and Messi finally stood side by side, the noise at Wankhede perhaps wasn't celebration-it was gratitude. Gratitude for the goals, the centuries, the comebacks, the magic. Gratitude for having lived in an era where dreams wore No. 10.
Argentina
Lionel Messi
India Cricket Team
Sachin Tendulkar