Kolkata is all set to welcome Lionel Messi on December 12. The following day, an event called Hola Messi will be held at the Salt Lake Aikatan Club. Messi’s visit is part of his GOAT India Tour.
Meanwhile, to make the legend feel ‘at home’, the Argentine Football Fan Club Kolkata created a special tribute in Salt Lake. He recreated Messi’s home in Miami. The house has a terrace with sculptures, terracotta roofs and life-size cutouts of Messi and his family, ANI reported.
Inside the venue, organizers have set up a museum-style space honoring Messi’s long career. Fans will see replicas of his most prestigious trophies, including the La Liga, Champions League, Copa América, World Cup, Ballon d’Or and Golden Boot titles.
There are 896 soccer balls on the ceiling that mark every goal Messi has scored. A 200-meter LED wall will play moments from his best matches. Organizers charge fees ₹10 as entry fee. However, according to them, it is only about crowd control and monitoring of visitors, ANI added.
“We did all this because Messi is coming to Kolkata. I don’t like watching Messi at home on a small TV. The public is also very happy. Messi, please come and see what your fans can do for you,” ANI quoted Uttam Sahu, founder of the Argentine Football Fan Club in Kolkata.
“We are celebrating football since 2002, our idol which is Lionel Messi. Before him was Maradona (Diego Maradona) ji… we love football very much. Now that Lionel Messi is coming to India in 2025, we want to welcome him,” said Pragnan Saha, the club’s cultural secretary.
“God caused it to come to our city, our city of joy,” he said.
“I would love to have Messi here and celebrate at least some time with us, but we don’t know if that will happen or not. But again, if it doesn’t happen, we don’t care, we will still love the man until the very end of time… we will continue to celebrate the man,” he added.
Diego Maradona’s visit to Calcutta
Before Messi, Diego Maradona visited Calcutta twice. The Argentine great, who has a massive fan following in Kolkata, had his first visit in 2008 and the second in 2017.
His trip in 2008 lasted two days and created a huge stir in the city. Almost 15,000 fans gathered at the airport at midnight to welcome the football god. Maradona called it the second biggest reception of his life after Naples.
He attended events at the Salt Lake Stadium and Mohun Bagan. He showed off his ball handling skills and joined programs associated with a proposed soccer school.
Maradona returned in 2017 for a charity match and football workshop with school children in Barasat. Calcutta again appeared in large numbers.
