Lionel Messi’s India tour took an unexpected turn at the very end. Instead of wrapping up his journey after visiting Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi, the Argentine superstar made a surprise stop in Jamnagar, Gujarat. From Delhi, Messi flew to Bantara at the personal invitation of Anant Ambani, the son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. What followed quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of his visit.
Surprise Jamnagar Visit and Bantara Experience
During his time at Bantara, Messi explored the premises, offered puja, and even spent time observing lions. Accompanied by teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suárez, Messi appeared relaxed and curious throughout the visit. Anant Ambani and his wife, Radhika Merchant, were also present, hosting the football icon during his stay.
Photos and videos from Jamnagar soon flooded social media, showing Messi enjoying a very different atmosphere compared to the packed stadium events in other Indian cities. One image, however, sparked far more discussion than the rest.
Rare Luxury Watch That Stole the Spotlight
The highlight of Lionel’s Jamnagar visit was a stunning gift from Anant Ambani — a Richard Mille RM 003-V2 GMT Tourbillon Asia Edition watch. The ultra-rare timepiece is valued at around $1.2 million, making it one of the most expensive watches Messi has ever been seen wearing. Only 12 pieces of this model exist worldwide.
A source close to the event said,
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕.”
The watch was later spotted on Messi’s wrist, instantly igniting discussions among fans and luxury watch enthusiasts alike.
Lionel is already known for his impressive watch collection, which includes high-end pieces such as the Rolex Le Mans made of 18-carat gold, the Rolex GMT-Master II, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ Extra Thin, and even the eye-catching Barbie Rolex. The addition of the Richard Mille RM 003-V2 further elevates his status as a serious collector.
Reflecting on the unexpected stop, one admirer commented,
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 — 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎, 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.”
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