Lionel Messi is in Kolkata. And so is Luis Suarez and others. There will be a lot of events around the tour, which will involve politicians and celebrities and corporates. But for me, the real deal is the fan. Corporates and HNI’s and even some from the media have had the privilege of watching Messi play in different parts of the world.
Some will travel to the FIFA world cup 2026 as well. But for the mad Messi fans, who worship him on a daily basis and yet haven’t been able to consume him up front, this is their occasion. My hope is they get their due and feel happy at the end. The success of this tour is about the happiness of the Messi fan. While Shahrukh Khan and others will add gloss, the truth is it should be about the fan as discussed with the promoters.
There are many who earn 15-20k a month and yet have spent 10k on a ticket to go and watch him. They are expecting something in return and that’s what it is all about. Their Messi experience. Sourav and Shahrukh and Leander aren’t really in focus. They are men of means and privilege. They can experience Messi elsewhere. But the young man or woman who has taken a 35-hour train ride to get to Kolkata to be at the YBK is the real deal. They have spent half their salary and deprived some family members to get here. All that each one of us should hope is for them to be happy.
Kolkata loves Messi. At 2am in the morning, the kind of visuals I have seen at the airport is testimony. The hotel is surrounded by fans and security has to be at a premium. My own team is an example. This is our appraisal month and I bought some tickets to make sure a lot of my younger football crazy colleagues are rewarded.
To be specific there will be 8 members of the Revsportz team in the stadium consuming the experience. It is for them. Take the case of two of our young editors. They have edited the Messi videos we had sent from Qatar in 2022. They have edited the videos of the Argentinian fans celebrating and edited the videos of Messi celebrating the world cup win. Today, they will not edit. They are the fans out there consuming the spectacle and enjoying the experience.
I wish the organisers all the very best and hope every single person who will be there at the YBK gets something to remember. Sports creates memories and this is one such occasion. To see the greatest football player of all time in your midst, with just six months to go before the world cup, is a very special occasion and it should go well for everyone concerned. And let me also voice a caution – you don’t want a security issue. You don’t want a crowd issue. We know what can happen. Chinnaswamy is still real for each one of us. So, let it all go well and let everyone have their Messi moment. All the best to everyone associated.
