After 14 long years, Lionel Andres Messi is set to make a comeback to India as a part of the ‘GOAT Tour of India’ event, to be held in December this year – in Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.
The Satadru Dutta Initiative, on Wednesday, October 2, announced the event that will bring Messi back to India after a long wait. Earlier, Dutta had brought Messi’s national team colleague, goalkeeper Emilliano Martinez, to Kolkata after the Qatar 2022 triumph.
The three-day tour, between December 13 and 15, will include Messi making appearances in Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. A fourth city is set to be announced soon.
The tour will see the Argentine star visit the iconic stadiums in each city — Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi. The stadium will host events and spectators can visit via ticketed entries. Tickets will be available via the District App.
The tour will also include a statue unveiling in Kolkata’s Lake Town area, where the late Diego Maradona had unveiled his own statue during his visit in 2017.
There will also be a launch of a new charitable initiative. The World Cup-winning skipper will also meet local sports and entertainment figures along with dignitaries as a part of the tour.
Speaking of this event, Messi said, “India is a very special country and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago.
“The fans were fantastic. I look forward to meeting a new generation of supporters and sharing my love for this beautiful game.”
The last time Messi visited Kolkata was for a completely different reason. The Argentina national team played a friendly match against Venezuela and it finished 1-0 in favour of the Albiceleste. Nicholas Otamendi scored the solitary goal from a header, after a Messi corner kick. The packed crowd was overjoyed to see Messi in action. It was also Messi’s first official match as the Argentina captain.
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