Lionel Messi and Abhinav Bindra (Image Agency) India striker Abhinav Bindra struck a thoughtful note on Sunday as the country continued to be rocked by what many described as “Messi mania”. With Lionel Messi currently on a four-city tour of India, scheduled to conclude on Monday in New Delhi at a football clinic at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Bindra used the moment to raise a broader question about India’s sporting priorities. Bindra was careful to make it clear that his comments were not aimed at criticizing Messi. Instead, the Olympic gold medalist questioned whether India was really investing in building a sports culture or was simply celebrating the world’s superstars from a distance.
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Messi’s visit to India began last Saturday with a largely underwhelming stopover in Kolkata before moving on to Hyderabad and Mumbai. Across cities, the tour attracted massive crowds, exclusive VIP interactions and intense media coverage. While the fanfare highlighted India’s fascination with global sports icons, the spotlight often extended to politicians and Bollywood celebrities, which apparently worried Bindra. In a detailed post on X, Bindra said he has deep respect and admiration for Messi, calling him a rare athlete whose journey transcends sports. Acknowledging Messi’s rise from a child who overcame physical challenges to a footballer who redefined excellence, he said he fully understood the commercial realities, the power of branding and the appeal of modern sporting icons. However, Bindra admitted that the scale and nature of the celebrations made him uneasy. He expressed dismay at the amount of money and energy spent on the four-city tour at a time when India’s sports ecosystem continues to struggle for attention and funding. He pointed to the lack of accessible pitches, trained coaches and structured development pathways for young athletes and wondered what could be achieved if even a small fraction of the funds spent on major events were redirected to these foundations. While he acknowledged that people are free to spend their money as they choose, Bindra said the contrast made him think about missed opportunities for long-term impact. According to Bindra, great sporting nations are not built by isolated spectacles, but systems that patiently nurture talent over time. He emphasized that inspiration alone is not enough, even if it comes from icons like Messi. What matters, he said, is connecting inspiration with purpose and sustained commitment. Bindra concluded by saying that the most meaningful way to honor legends is not through grand gestures or fleeting moments of access, but by ensuring that young children across India have fields to play on, coaches to guide them and a real chance to dream. This, he argued, is how sports cultures take root and how lasting legacies are created.
