I hope football has bright future in India: Messi after "amazing" tour
New Delhi (PTI): Lionel Messi hoped that football has a "bright future" in India and expressed gratitude for the "generous hospitality" that he got here during a whirlwind three-day tour, which had thousands of fans jostling to catch a glimpse of the Argentine genius in four different cities.
Messi, after extending his stay by a day to visit the Anant Ambani-founded Vantara wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre in Jamnagar, left for his base in Miami on Wednesday.
Taking to Instagram, the 38-year-old posted a one-minute highlights clip of the tour, featuring his interactions with Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and several young footballers.
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"What amazing visits to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. Thank you for the warm reception, generous hospitality, and all the feelings of love with which you surrounded me throughout my tour.
"I hope that football has a bright future in India," he wrote underneath the video.
His good wishes come at a time when Indian football finds itself at its lowest ebb.
The domestic season has been brought to a halt for the want of a commercial partner and the national team's fortunes have been in a free-fall following a string of poor results.
An ongoing court case over administrative issues has further deepened policy paralysis.
The superstar striker, who is among the most recognisable and adored sportspersons in the world, did not play any competitive football during the trip.
He was accompanied by Uruguay great and close friend Luis Suarez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo de Paul during the tour.
Messi made stadium appearances for ticketed events in all the four cities starting with Kolkata, where things turned ugly after politicians and officials surrounded him, denying fans, who had paid thousands for a seat, a clear view of the icon.
Agitated by this, the gathered spectators indulged in vandalism at the Salt Lake Stadium, prompting Messi to be whisked away sooner than the originally planned time.
However, his visits to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi passed off smoothly as he charmed fans by posing for pictures and showcasing some of his warm-up routines besides playing briefly with young players.
"...we carry all this love with us, and we will definitely return, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India," he said after the final leg of the tour in Delhi.
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Karnataka records second-lowest unemployment rate in India
Mangaluru: Karnataka has reported the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country, showing strong performance in job creation compared to most other states, The New Indian Express reported.
According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for July–September 2025, the unemployment rate in Karnataka stood at 2.8 per cent, which is much lower than the national average of 5.2 per cent for people aged 15 years and above. The data was shared by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in reply to an unstarred question.
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Urban India continued to face greater stress, with unemployment at 6.9 per cent, compared to 4.4 per cent in rural areas. In Karnataka, rural unemployment stood at 2.5 per cent, while urban unemployment was 3.3 per cent, pointing to relatively stable labour market conditions across regions.
Karnataka also recorded a labour force participation rate of 57.3 per cent and a worker population ratio of 55.6 per cent, reflecting active participation of people in economic activities. As per the report, Gujarat ranked first nationally with the lowest unemployment rate of 2.2 per cent.
Among southern states, Andhra Pradesh 8.2 per cent and Kerala 8.0 per cent reported significantly higher unemployment levels. Tamil Nadu and Telangana both recorded an unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent.
According to the report, in Karnataka, female unemployment at 3.0 per cent was slightly higher than male unemployment at 2.8 per cent. Kerala showed a sharper disparity, with female unemployment at 9.4 per cent against 7.2 per cent for men.
Similar trends were observed in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, highlighting ongoing challenges in integrating women into the workforce.
The government reportedly said employment indicators are estimated through the PLFS, while job-seeker registration is facilitated through the National Career Service portal, which currently has over 6.02 crore registered job seekers.
