It was an Adidas event. Lionel Messi is an Adidas athlete, and that is how it all came together. Over the past week, Indian football has revolved around Messi and the GOAT Tour of India. After a chaotic Kolkata leg, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi did relatively better justice to the fans.
The Argentine star, along with his teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suárez, also visited the Ambanis for a private gathering, with social media flooded with snippets from the evening.
However, a day later, an Adidas shoot produced a heartwarming moment as Messi and De Paul, both Adidas athletes, wore the Indian T20 cricket jersey and collaborated with several Indian sports stars. While the main video is yet to be released by the organisers, multiple pictures have already delighted sports fans across the country.
The Indian athletes present represented a wide spectrum of sports. Nikhat Zareen was there from boxing, Sumit Antil and Nishad Kumar from para-athletics, Kuldeep Yadav from men’s cricket, and Renuka Singh Thakur from the women’s team. All are world champions, alongside Messi and De Paul.
Sumit Antil, arguably India’s greatest-ever Paralympian, with two Paralympic gold medals and three World Championship golds, spoke to RevSportz about his experience of sharing the frame with Messi.
“I got to know just a day or two before the shoot that I would be meeting Messi. When it finally happened, it felt excellent. Shooting with someone like Lionel Messi, one of the greatest athletes of all time, is a special feeling,” Antil said. “It was an Adidas event. Messi is an Adidas athlete as well, so that’s how it came together.”
Speaking about meeting the Argentine legend for the first time, Antil added: “Honestly, it felt great. Nature-wise, he’s very calm and down-to-earth. Despite being such a big athlete, there’s no arrogance at all. That really stood out to me.”
Messi does not speak English, but that did not hinder the interaction. “Yes, communication happened through a translator since he doesn’t understand English. I don’t remember the translator’s name, but the interaction was smooth. Messi was very friendly,” Antil said.
Antil also enjoyed meeting Indian men’s cricket star Kuldeep Yadav, a die-hard Messi and FC Barcelona fan. “I met Kuldeep bhai for the first time there. That was a nice experience as well. He’s a huge football fan. My manager actually told me on the way that Kuldeep bhai was coming and that he’s a massive Messi fan.”
While football is not something he follows closely due to his training commitments, Antil believes global icons transcend sport. “Not regularly, because training takes up most of my time. But Messi, Ronaldo, everyone knows them. You don’t need to watch football every day to know what they represent.”
Reflecting further, Antil said meeting Messi added a new layer of understanding. “Before meeting him, I knew who he was, of course. But after meeting him and speaking to him, I really understood why he is such a big athlete, not just because of his skills, but because of the way he carries himself.”
Speaking about the shoot, Antil revealed, “There was a whole activity planned. He signed my javelin and took photos. De Paul is also a very nice person, a joyful character.”
Currently training at the SAI campus in Sonipat, the world champion para-athlete is preparing for the upcoming Asian Para Games in Nagoya–Aichi, Japan. In the off-season, he is focusing on conditioning his body after a brief break following the New Delhi Para Athletics World Championships.
“Preparation is always ongoing, but it happens in phases. First comes the off-season, then mid-season, then pre-season. We usually open the competitive season around February,” Antil explained.
“Right now, since it’s the off-season, we’re focusing on strength work. Later, before the pre-season, we’ll start technical work. That’s when things really pick up,” he added.
Despite having won almost everything there is to win, Antil remains fixated on a personal milestone. “We’re still chasing the 75-metre mark. We’ve put in a lot of effort already, but somewhere something is missing. We’ll try to figure that out and aim for it in 2026,” he signed off.
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