Lionel Messi is a fan favourite and he draws huge crowds wherever he goes. The crowd went crazy for the Argentine when he visited India in 2025. Messi has inspired a complete generation of players and is a cult figure in football. Messi’s popularity increased rapidly and by 2012, he had enough star power to fill the stadiums wherever he played. Messi made his debut in 2005. In 2012, he visited Saudi Arabia with the Argentina football team for a friendly game.
