India, Dec. 14 -- Lionel Messi's Day 1 in India was a tale of two halves. While his brief appearance in Kolkata descended into chaos, with fans failing to catch a glimpse of him during a 22-minute visit to the Salt Lake Stadium, the Hyderabad leg unfolded smoothly, underlining the difference that planning, preparation, and discipline can make.

Messi arrived in Hyderabad at 5:40 pm after a turbulent opening leg in Kolkata and was received by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at the Taj Falaknuma Palace. Dressed casually in a green crew-neck T-shirt, black trousers and sports shoes, the World Cup-winning legend appeared noticeably more relaxed, in stark contrast to the tense and hurried demeanour he cut earlier in the day. He then hea...