Anant Ambani gifts Lionel Messi with one of 12 ultra-rare Richard Mille watches as staggering price of limited edition piece revealed

Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour of India concluded with a visit to Vantara, a wildlife rescue and conservation center founded by Asia’s richest man’s son, Anant Ambani.

During his visit, Messi, accompanied by his teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, toured the facility, took part in traditional rituals, and met the wildlife teams caring for rescued animals. Images from the visit that showed Lionel Messi interacting with the animals quickly went viral as he was guided through the complex.

Earlier reports claimed that Ambani, together with his wife, Radhika Merchant, named a lion cub ‘Lionel’ in honor of the football legend. However, in another remarkable gesture, Lionel Messi received an ultra-rare Richard Mille RM 003 V2 “Asia Edition” as a gift from Anant Ambani. The watch is one of Richard Mille’s early and most iconic models, whose estimated market value is $1.1 million.

The watch features a black carbon case and a skeleton dial. Messi was seen wearing the watch, indicating he accepted the gift. The Richard Mille watch will become the latest addition to Messi’s remarkable collection. The Inter Miami forward is currently the second-highest-paid player in the world, pulling in $130 million in total earnings.

Messi kick-started his GOAT India tour in Kolkata, which ended on a sour note as fans ripped up seats at the Salt Lake Stadium after they struggled to catch a glimpse of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. He headed to Hyderabad the same day, where he participated in a 7v7 exhibition match with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

The following day, he went to Mumbai, where he met several celebrities, and then to Delhi on Monday, December 15.

Lionel Messi had a wonderful time at Vantara

After Anant Ambani thanked Lionel Messi for visiting Vantara, the latter replicated the gesture, thanking him for his work towards wildlife and admitting he had a wonderful time at the facility.

“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,” he said.

Messi’s visit to India marked his first in the country since 2011, when he represented Argentina in a friendly match against Venezuela.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide