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Messi’s India blitz: Four cities, three days, one legend
KOLKATA: Lionel Messi touched down in Kolkata before dawn and instantly set off a football frenzy. Thousands of fans braved the cold, skipped sleep and flooded the streets to welcome the Argentine icon as he kicked off his GOAT India Tour 2025, his first visit to the country in 14 years.
Chants, flags and camera flashes followed Messi from the airport as the city rolled out a rapturous reception rarely seen for a visiting sportsperson. The Kolkata leg marks the opening act of a tightly packed three-day itinerary that will take Messi to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Kolkata is the tour’s opening act and its most emotional stop. Messi is scheduled to attend multiple interactions and events in the city, including meetings with former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, underscoring the cultural and political heft attached to his visit.
A centrepiece of the Kolkata leg is the virtual unveiling of a 70-foot statue of Messi at Salt Lake Stadium. The event will be attended by West Bengal minister Sujit Bose and Hindi cinema actor Shah Rukh Khan, blending sport, cinema and public life into a carefully staged spectacle.
From Kolkata, Messi travels south to Hyderabad on December 13, where the focus shifts to fan engagement, football showcases and grassroots outreach programmes aimed at young players and coaches. The Hyderabad schedule includes an evening event at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, a short exhibition match, and a football clinic and felicitation.
The tour then moves west to Mumbai on December 14, where the emphasis turns commercial. Messi’s Mumbai schedule includes an event at Wankhede Stadium, a 45-minute philanthropic fashion event, and a Padel Cup at CCI. Messi is expected to attend high-profile sponsor and partner engagements, closed-door stakeholder meetings and select fan-facing appearances. No on-field exhibition is planned, with the Mumbai stop positioned as a strategic pause to leverage brand power, media reach and long-term football partnerships.
The final leg takes Messi to New Delhi on December 15, where the tour concludes with high-level engagements, drawing the curtain on his first India visit in 14 years. The Delhi schedule includes a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, felicitation of Minerva Academy’s youth teams, and a nine-a-side celebrity match.
Four cities. Three days. One global icon. India waited more than a decade. Messi is making every stop count.
