Football icon Lionel Messi is poised for a monumental return to Indian shores this December, marking his first visit in 14 years. The Argentine maestro's highly anticipated four-city tour across India, dubbed the GOAT India Tour 2025, will commence in the football-crazy city of Kolkata on December 13, weaving through Hyderabad, Mumbai, and concluding in Delhi on December 15.
Kolkata Kick-Off: A Packed Day of Glitz and Football
The tour's opening day in Kolkata promises a whirlwind of activities for the global superstar. Messi's schedule includes a meet-and-greet session at a luxury hotel, followed by a grand reception at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium. The stadium event will feature a cultural dance programme with Bengali film stars and a planned meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The sporting highlight in Kolkata will be a short football match between Mohun Bagan and Diamond Harbour. Fans are eagerly awaiting the possibility of seeing Messi take a few shots on goal. He is also slated to share the stage with legendary Indian athletes, including former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, football icon Bhaichung Bhutia, and tennis champion Leander Paes. The day will culminate in a grand felicitation ceremony.
Statue Spectacle and Tour Expansion
One of the most striking events planned is the unveiling of a colossal 70-foot statue of Lionel Messi in Kolkata's Lake Town area. While the logistics are being finalised, it remains to be seen if Messi will attend the unveiling in person or participate virtually from the Salt Lake Stadium venue.
Interestingly, the tour itinerary was expanded following overwhelming fan demand. Originally covering Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi from December 13-15, the organisers, Satadru Dutta Initiative, added Hyderabad as a new stop. Messi himself confirmed this update via a Facebook post on November 27, expressing gratitude for the immense love from Indian fans and his excitement to visit.
Star-Studded Stops in Mumbai and Delhi
After Kolkata and Hyderabad on December 13, the action shifts to Mumbai on December 14 for the 'Padel GOAT Cup'. This event is expected to be a glittering affair, with a potential celebrity lineup featuring the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, and M.S. Dhoni, alongside several Bollywood A-listers.
The extensive three-day tour will draw to a close in the national capital, Delhi, on December 15. Reports suggest Messi is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the final leg of his Indian sojourn, which promises a fitting finale to a landmark sporting visit.
This pan-India tour, touching the east, south, west, and north, represents one of the most comprehensive celebrity sporting visits the country has ever hosted. For millions of fans, Messi's return is a symbolic homecoming of a global legend to a nation where his stature has only magnified since his first and only visit in 2011, when he captained Argentina against Venezuela at the very same Salt Lake Stadium.
