Football legend Lionel Messi landed in Kolkata at 2.26 am on Saturday, amid fan frenzy starting from the airport which spread to nearby streets and the Hyatt Regency hotel to welcome the Argentine icon. Messi flew out of Kolkata around 2 pm on Saturday. Kolkata marked day one of Messi’s GOAT India tour.
Following Kolkata, the football superstar is scheduled to visit three major cities during his tour — Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Messi’s Kolkata schedule which began on 13 December, is followed by an appearance in Hyderabad the same evening. He will then travel to Mumbai on 14 December, and the final event will take place in New Delhi on 15 December.
Messi departed for Hyderabad at 2 pm on Saturday from Kolkata to attend a 7v7 exhibition match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium alongside Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. The evening will feature a musical extravaganza celebrating his illustrious career.
According to Parvathi Reddy, advisor to The GOAT Tour Hyderabad, Messi will be joined by his Inter Miami CF teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez. The highlight of the Hyderabad leg will be a special football clinic for young players, where Messi and his teammates will train and interact with children.
“It is mostly focused on the football clinic that Messi is going to have.” Reddy said. “Rodrigo (De Paul) and Luis Suarez, they will also be part of the football clinic along with the Chief Minister of Telangana, they will be training children, they will be inspiring children, they will be giving tips on football,” she added.
On December 14, Messi will head to Mumbai, where he is scheduled to participate in multiple events, including a Padel Cup appearance, a celebrity football match, and a charity fashion show. Messi will headline an event at the Wankhede Stadium. The Mumbai leg also includes a philanthropic fashion showcase involving Messi, Suárez and De Paul, preceded by a Padel Cup at the Cricket Club of India, blending sport, charity and celebrity appeal. He is also likely to join Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in a 7-a-side cricket match, a rare crossover moment for Indian sports fans.
The final stop for Messi’s GOAT India tour 2025 is Delhi on 15 December 2025 where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The capital’s programme includes the felicitation of Minerva Academy’s triple youth-trophy-winning teams and a nine-a-side celebrity football match, rounding off the India visit.
Messi’s Kolkata event turns messy, organiser arrested
Lionel Messi fans in Kolkata were left bitterly disappointed during his “GOAT Tour” visit today December 13, after the football icon’s public appearance at Salt Lake Stadium lasted only about 20 minutes amid chaos and poor event management. Protesters Set Fire to Sofas Inside Yuva Bharati Stadium
Following Lionel Messi’s early departure, massive protests erupted at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium). Widespread vandalism occurred inside the stadium. Protesters set fire to sofas inside the premises. Police promptly intervened and extinguished the fire. Shatadru Dutta, the main organiser of the event, has been arrested following the widespread chaos and protests at the stadium.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose strongly reacted to the chaotic situation, advocating for the swift arrest of the event organisers.
He stated, “The organiser must be arrested immediately. The money of the thousands of people who spent their hard-earned money on expensive tickets must be refunded. Furthermore, the organising agency must compensate for the damage caused to the stadium and the spirit of the sport.”
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