Lionel Messi is coming to India for a 3-day GOAT tour. No, this is not a football-related visit, unlike the last trip in 2011 when Messi’s Argentina played an international friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium.
This time, the legendary football player is coming on a sleepy trip, during which he will take part in a surprising number of non-football activities within 72 hours. Between December 13 and 15, he will travel across four cities, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, on a schedule that looks more like a political roadshow than a sporting visit.
It’s worth noting that 2025 was originally supposed to be Messi’s second visit to India to actually play a football match. The Kerala government worked hard to gain international friendship, but these plans collapsed after the required permits failed to come through. As football fans across the country sighed in disappointment, Bengal sports promoter Satadru Dutta unveiled one of the most bizarre schemes in recent Indian sporting history. He brought Messi on an all-India tour where the footballer would take part in a series of light-hearted activities that had no real connection to the sport that had made him a name around the world.
The timing couldn’t be more ironic. Messi’s visit comes at a time when Indian football is perhaps at its lowest point. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has failed to secure sponsors and broadcasters for the Indian Super League. It’s already December 12 and it’s still unclear when the country’s top football competition will resume, if at all.
Messi’s visit has nothing to do with football
Considering the state of football in the country, Lionel Messi’s exit has nothing to do with football matters. During his time in the country, Messi will meet three chief ministers, the country’s prime minister and a parade of celebrities. If Indian media reports are accurate, the original plan even included Messi playing celebrity cricket matches. The idea of India hosting the greatest footballer of all time but still unable to think beyond cricket is astonishing. Fortunately, someone eventually realized the absurdity and scrapped the idea altogether.
The revised plans aren’t much better. Messi is set to meet a long list of people in Kolkata and virtually unveil the 70-foot statue on December 13. After a busy morning, he will fly to Hyderabad to play a 7v7 exhibition match that will also include Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
To be honest, I find Messi’s schedule in India more grueling than European football. Instead of three matches a week, he attends four events in three days across the four corners of the country.
Lionel Messi in India. Where are the Indian footballers?
One would expect at least some interaction with the Indian national football team on the GOAT’s trip to India. The absence of the ISL may have even allowed Indian players the flexibility to face someone who many probably idolize. However, no such event is planned in any city. Messi’s time has been reserved for politicians and Bollywood stars in what will effectively be a glitzy roadshow.
India Today has learned that former national captain Sunil Chhetri, the fourth highest scorer in international football, has been invited to meet Messi. Chhetri politely declined, saying that meeting Messi would do nothing meaningful for Indian football.
His attitude only reinforces the wider emptiness surrounding the event.
Tour of the GOAT. How are tickets sold?
Public reaction to Messi’s visit was mixed. Kolkata are expected to be the most excited, but this has not been fully reflected in the ticket sales at the Salt Lake Stadium. In the District application, many sections of land are still unfilled, despite expectations of a complete sell-out. In Hyderabad, the situation is similar.
Interestingly, Delhi and Mumbai – two of the strongest cricket bases in the country – have seen a big response. The smaller event in Delhi is sold out and Mumbai have seen strong ticket sales despite prices that exceed those of many Indian Premier League matches.
GOAT Tour: Credit where it’s due
Former East Bengal captain Anit Ghosh credited Satadru Dutt with a huge logistical and financial feat. Dutta, the sole promoter of the event, secured sponsors and convinced Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul to come to India for something completely unique.
“Satadru Dutta should be credited for bringing Lionel Messi to India and the way sponsors have responded. Of course, sponsors will invest where they see returns,” Anit Ghosh told India Today over phone.
The former India defender also criticized the AIFF for its inability to secure even a single sponsor for the ISL, while Satadru managed to bring in companies like Adani, HSBC and JSW for the three-day event.
“The fact that Satadru outbid AIFF is really laughable. He managed to get sponsors for the first event of its kind in India. And AIFF with a big team can’t get sponsors to run the biggest league in the country?”
What are the industry experts saying about Messi’s trip?
India Today spoke to several people from across the football industry, from ISL club officials to sports promoters. They agreed that Messi’s visit was part of a wider cultural shift. Recently, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, David Beckham and Harry Maguire visited India and it was learned that Chelsea legend John Terry is also scheduled to come on the trip. Experts believe that increasing the frequency of such visits may eventually encourage sponsors to invest more in Indian football.
However, one ISL insider expressed frustration. He argued that if sports-focused sponsors really wanted to help Indian football, a better approach would be to sponsor a training exposure for a select group of 25 talented kids in Argentina or Europe. He said it would do much more to the sport than a celebrity meet-and-greet tour.
Lionel Messi meets Minerva Academy Kids
One redeeming part of the GOAT tour is Messi’s scheduled interaction with the Minerva Academy kids at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi during the last leg of his trip. Minerva Academy youngsters have regularly made headlines with their performances at overseas age group tournaments. Their mentor, Ranjit Bajaj, has repeatedly argued that with the right investment at the grassroots level, India can produce some talented footballers. With continued support, he believes the country could even discover its own Messi.
This moment is likely to be a vindication for Bajaj. He will help fulfill the dreams of several children who only watched Messi on the screen. The meeting in Delhi could become not only a cherished memory but also an important part of their development.
The irony of Lionel Messi’s trip to India
It is perhaps the greatest irony of Messi’s journey that he will spend most of his time meeting the country’s political and business elite, rather than pursuing the sport that made him who he is. The decision to avoid even a brief football exhibition with Indian players speaks volumes about the state of football in the country.
One also wonders what Messi himself will do with the pageantry that he will be carrying over these three days.
“The state of football in this country reflects how useless the AIFF is. The vision they came up with, what exactly have they achieved? They have left Indian football in shambles. It is a huge failure for the political leadership and also for the clubs,” one former player told India Today on condition of anonymity.
“I played football with Kalyan Chaubey. But when I look at him as a president and look at his work, I feel ashamed,” he added.
Messi’s visit will bring excitement, spectacle and headlines, but very little resembling progress for the sport itself. India will spend three days celebrating the greatest footballer of all time, but the country’s own football ecosystem remains without direction, investment or clarity. Until Indian football faces its deeper problems and demands more from those who govern it, even Lionel Messi’s presence will remain a glittering distraction.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
December 12, 2025
