Guided tours, traditional rituals and wildlife: How Lionel Messi spent time in Vantara

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Global football legend Lionel Messi on Tuesday visited Vantara, a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre in Jamnagar, where he participated in traditional rituals and interacted with conservation teams at the facility.

Reliance Industries’ Executive Director and Vantara’s founder Anant Ambani hosted Messi and his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul at the sprawling centre.

Messi and his Inter Miami teammates were accorded a traditional welcome, featuring folk music and floral greetings. They also participated in an 'Aarti' at the temple.

During the visit, Messi toured Vantara’s conservation ecosystem, which houses rescued big cats, elephants, herbivores, reptiles and fostered animals.

He interacted with caregivers and veterinary staff and observed animal welfare practices, including specialised medical care, nutrition and rehabilitation protocols.

In honour of the football legend, Anant Ambani and Radhika Ambani together named a lion cub “Lionel”.

After visiting the facility, Messi said: “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 ended his much-anticipated G.O.A.T. India Tour on Monday after giving his fans a lifetime of memories following his visit to Delhi on the final leg of his three-day visit.

After a chaotic beginning in Kolkata on the tour’s first stop on Saturday, Messi visited Hyderabad and Mumbai before the Delhi leg during his whirlwind trip to India.