Football legend Lionel Messi extended his India visit to Jamnagar, Gujarat, where he, along with teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, was hosted by Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant at Vantara, a massive wildlife rescue and conservation initiative.
December 17, 2025: Following fan interactions in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi, Lionel Messi made an unscheduled final stop at Vantara (meaning ‘Star of the Forest’) in Jamnagar. Vantara, a project spearheaded by Anant Ambani (Director, Reliance Industries Limited), is one of the world’s largest animal rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation centres, established by the Reliance Foundation within a 3,500-acre green belt at the Jamnagar Refinery Complex.
Messi was personally welcomed and hosted by Anant Ambani and his fiancée, Radhika Merchant, who guided the football icon through the sprawling facility. Vantara is structured around four key pillars: rescue, rehabilitation, revival, and rewilding, and reportedly houses more than 150,000 animals across over 2,000 species as of 2025.
Cultural Immersion and Conservation Insights
The visit was marked by a deep cultural immersion for Messi and his Inter Miami teammates, Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul.
- Traditional Welcome: The trio was accorded a traditional welcome featuring folk music, floral greetings, and a ceremonial Aarti.
- Spiritual Side: Messi, Suárez, and De Paul participated in a Maha Aarti at the Vantara temple, offering prayers for world peace and unity.
- Wildlife Interaction: The footballers explored the conservation ecosystem, interacting with animal caregivers and conservation experts at dedicated centres for big cats, elephants, herbivores, and reptiles. Messi reportedly engaged in an impromptu football enrichment activity with a rescued elephant calf named Maniklal.
- Heartfelt Gesture: In a special gesture, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant named a rescued lion cub “Lionel” in honour of the football legend.
Messi was quoted as expressing his admiration for the initiative, stating, “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.”
Host’s Style: Classic Black Coordination
For the significant occasion, hosts Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant were seen coordinating their looks in classic black.
- Radhika Merchant wore an understated yet elegant ensemble consisting of a high-turtleneck, fitted black blouse paired with straight-cut, relaxed-fall trousers.
- Anant Ambani complemented her look with a refined black sherwani featuring a bandhgala collar and ornate button fastenings, completing the refined look.