Lionel Messi gets a huge welcome from fans on his return to India

The “GOAT” tour in India is set to take place across four cities: Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. During the tour, Messi is scheduled to attend concerts, youth football clinics, a padel tournament and launch charitable initiatives at events in these four cities. This marks the second time Messi has visited India, with his first visit coming back in 2011, when Argentina played a friendly match against Venezuela at Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata.

Returning to India after 14 years, Messi was welcomed by huge crowds of fans at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. The Argentine star was seen surrounded by bodyguards, police and numerous escort vehicles. Despite the heavy crowds, Messi managed to leave the airport safely as more and more fans gathered to catch a glimpse of him.

Later in the afternoon, Messi visited Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where he walked around the pitch and waved to supporters. However, some overzealous fans surrounded him, forcing Messi to leave after only 20 minutes. Following the incident, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued an apology to Messi on X:

“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident. I am constituting an enquiry committee … the committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.”

A statue of Messi in Kolkata is scheduled to be unveiled today. The 21-metre-tall statue is located near the Esplanade area, close to the structure often referred to as the “Big Ben of Kolkata.” The golden statue depicts Messi holding the World Cup trophy - an iconic image that went viral after he led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

For the remainder of his trip, Messi is scheduled to visit Hyderabad and Mumbai before concluding the tour in New Delhi on Monday. In the capital, the football legend is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Overall, Messi is expected to stay in India for 72 hours during this visit.