India, Dec. 13 -- Billed as the GOAT show, Lionel Messi's trip to India started in absolute chaos, the Argentina skipper and World Cup winner being forced to leave Salt Lake stadium after 20 minutes.

In scenes reminiscent of the 1996 cricket World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, water bottles and other missiles rained on the manicured football pitch and crowd, denied a chance to get a clear glimpse of the legend, broke through the barricades to storm on to the turf. The crowd damaged tents and equipment and even set fire to some furniture.

Chairs were thrown on to the ground as the police struggled to control an angry crowd, most of whom had paid between Rs.4,000 to Rs.18,000 to watch Messi. The damage caused...