India has been preparing enthusiastically for Lionel Messi’s arrival over the past several weeks, and the wait is nearly over. The Argentine legend will land in Kolkata tomorrow (Saturday), where celebrations have already begun. In Lake Town, Sri Bhoomi Sporting Club has built an impressive 70-foot iron statue of Lionel lifting the World Cup trophy, which they claim is the tallest sculpture of the football icon.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆,” 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒃 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕.
Messi will unveil the structure virtually, as workers rush to complete the final touches ahead of his arrival. During the “GOAT India Tour,” Argentina’s World Cup–winning captain will be protected with Z-category security, highlighting the scale of the event.
Four-City Tour, High-Profile Meetings and Packed Events
Messi’s three-day tour will take him across four major Indian cities. The 38-year-old superstar has a fully packed schedule on December 13, 14, and 15. He is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several celebrities and state leaders. Lionel will be accompanied by Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez and Argentina’s World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul, who will join him in Mumbai.
Tickets to see Messi at the various events range from 4,500 rupees to 8,250 rupees, with Mumbai hosting the highest-priced seats.
𝑨 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅, “𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚. 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊’𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.”
Messi’s Full India Tour Schedule (Bangladesh Time)
December 13 – Kolkata
- 2:00 am: Arrival in Kolkata
- 10:00–11:00 am: Meet and greet with special guests
- 11:00–11:45 am: Virtual unveiling of Messi’s sculpture
- 11:45–11:55 am: Arrival at Yuva Bharati Stadium
- 12:00 pm: Shah Rukh Khan reaches the venue
- 12:30 pm: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Sourav Ganguly arrive
- 12:30–1:00 pm: Friendly matches and related programs
- 2:00 pm: Departure for Hyderabad
December 13 – Hyderabad
- 7:30 pm: Seven-a-side match with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium
- Evening: Musical concert in Messi’s honour
December 14 – Mumbai
- 4:00 pm: Participation in the Indian Cricket Club Paddle Cup
- 4:30 pm: Celebrity football match
- 5:30 pm: Appearance at Wankhede Stadium before a charity fashion show
December 15 – New Delhi
- Meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- 2:00 pm: Award ceremony for Minerva Academy players at Arun Jaitley Stadium
- 7:00 pm: Messi’s farewell from India
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