Are your lungs insured? Delhi fog turns Lionel Messi’s arrival into meme fest

As Delhi prepared to welcome global football icon Lionel Messi for the final leg of his India tour, the city’s winter fog had other plans.

Dense fog and smog on Monday morning reduced visibility across large parts of the capital, leaving fans wondering if they would even get a clear glimpse of the Argentine star.

The thick morning fog disrupted traffic and blurred skylines. The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for fog as temperatures dipped to 8.2°C, turning Messi’s arrival into a classic Delhi winter spectacle.

It has sparked a surge of activity on social media.

Fans have begun blending Messi’s visit with Delhi’s seasonal reality, sparking a wave of memes.

Here are some humorous posts:

Messi aapka delhi main swagat hai

I heard your left leg is insured for $900 million, lungs ka kya? pic.twitter.com/c2AZDMNsO9

— Teri nani ka boytoy (@bklghaziabadi) December 15, 2025

Fans are waiting to see Virat Kohli and Leo Messi together in Delhi.

Meanwhile, this is how the photo would probably look in Delhi air. 😭 pic.twitter.com/xvln8edSu8

— Selfless⁴⁵ (@SelflessCricket) December 14, 2025

Messi is a non smoker

He will visit Delhi today

He'll smoke 25 cigarettes today

All thanks to AQI 900 today. pic.twitter.com/7TdqmvA8pS

— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) December 15, 2025

Messi has 896 career goals. Tomorrow, Delhi's AQI will beat that.

— Laphingwala (@Humorosaurus) December 14, 2025

Here is a photo of Messi and Virat Kohli in Delhi .. two GOATs. 🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/mft5ZyShWW

— irkROv (@irkrov) December 14, 2025

This is Delhi with AQI 488

00 debates ❌

00 outrage ❌

00 actions ❌

This is the same city where Lionel Messi will come today for an event

Imagine if this was Congress ruled state 😭 pic.twitter.com/edpMDYdg0u

— Amock_ (@Amockx2022) December 15, 2025

The foggy welcome added an unexpected twist to Messi’s India tour, which had already seen contrasting scenes across cities. While his earlier appearances drew massive crowds and online buzz, Delhi’s winter conditions ensured that the Internet, once again, found its own way to steal the show.