As the year 2025 drew to a close, thousands of spectators braved Delhi’s foul air, made stagnant by the unyielding winter winds, to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi. Not long back, it would have been a regular meet-and-greet for a legendary footballer. But this one was different. Fans booed the city-state’s chief minister for the poor air, a grievance likely unheard of in Messi’s home nation of Argentina, a fellow emerging economy.