Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour of India 2025: What All Happened?
Lionel Messi’s India tour drew massive crowds and chaos in Kolkata, smooth events elsewhere, and once again highlighted the lack of similar support for Indian football.
Football legend Lionel Messi, known for his global fan following, recently visited India as part of THE GOAT INDIA TOUR 2025. The four-city tour covered Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi, and Messi was joined by teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul. The tour was organised by sports promoter Satadru Dutta under A Satadru Dutta Initiative (ASDI).
Messi began his tour in Kolkata, landing on 13 December 2025 at 2:26 AM, where fans gathered at the airport despite the late hour. A 70-foot iron statue of Messi holding the World Cup was unveiled in Lake Town, but due to heavy crowds outside his hotel, the unveiling was done virtually. A major public event at Salt Lake Stadium later turned chaotic due to poor management, overcrowding by VVIPs, and high ticket prices ranging from ?4,000 to ?25,000.
Messi had to leave the event after just 20 minutes, leading to angry reactions from fans. Water bottles and chairs were thrown, stadium seats were damaged, and police had to use a lathi charge to control the crowd. Organiser Satadru Dutta was arrested and sent to 15 days of police custody and later promised refunds to ticket holders.
After Kolkata, Messi travelled to Hyderabad, where he played a 7 vs 7 exhibition match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attended the event, and Messi gifted his Argentina number 10 jersey to Rahul Gandhi.
In Mumbai, strict security arrangements were made. Messi attended events at Brabourne Stadium and Wankhede Stadium, where he met Indian celebrities, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Chhetri, and other sports stars. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched Project Mahadev, an initiative to train young football talent for the 2034 World Cup. Fans also created a mock Aadhaar card of Messi as a fun tribute.
The tour ended in New Delhi on 15 December at Arun Jaitley Stadium, where Messi played football with children and was presented with an Indian jersey and a T20 World Cup ticket by ICC Chairman Jay Shah.
Messi’s visit once again highlighted the lack of support for Indian football. Former captain Sunil Chhetri had earlier urged fans to support the national team in stadiums, but Indian football still struggles for attention despite Chhetri’s historic achievements.
