Football legend Lionel Messi's India tour has been grabbing headlines all week. Lionel Messi's GOAT Tour 2025 came to an end with a memorable night at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. Following that Messi visited Vantara, the wildlife rescue and conservation facility established by Anant Ambani in Jamnagar.
Messi was travelling under tight security along with fellow Argentine footballers Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul. During his visit, Messi spent time at Vantara, a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre and took part in customary Hindu rituals, observed wildlife habitats, and interacted with caregivers and conservation professionals.
Messi also participated in a Maha Aarti that was dedicated to Ambe Mata , Ganesh ji, Hanuman ji and also included Shiv Abhishek. Following the welcome, Leo Messi undertook a guided tour of Vantara’s vast conservation landscape, which houses rescued elephants, big cats, reptiles, herbivores and young animals brought in from different parts of the world.
He also visited the green energy complex and the world’s largest refinery complex, expressing admiration for the scale and vision behind these initiatives.
At the Big Cat Care Centre, Messi interacted with lions, leopards, tigers and other endangered species. He also toured the multi-speciality wildlife hospital, where he witnessed live clinical and surgical procedures, and later fed okapis, rhinos, giraffes and elephants. From a global standpoint, Messi also acknowledged and praised the Indian Prime Minister’s efforts toward strengthening wildlife conservation in the country.
At the Foster Care Centre, Anant Ambani and Radhika Ambani named a rescued lion cub “Lionel” in his honour. The most memorable moment of the visit unfolded at the Elephant Care Centre, where Messi met Maniklal, a rescued elephant calf saved along with his mother, Prathima from exploitative labour in the logging industry two years earlier.
Messi also took part in a spontaneous football-themed enrichment activity with the calf!
“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. We had a wonderful time, felt completely at ease throughout, and it is an experience that stays with you. We will surely visit again to continue inspiring and supporting this meaningful work," Messi shared about the space.
Messi also participated in Nariyal Utsarg and Matka Phod, which are traditional rituals that symbolise goodwill and auspicious beginnings.
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