Lionel Messi's India tour schedule: From exhibition matches with Sourav Ganguly, Leander Paes and John Abraham to interactions with Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee
After a lot of anticipation, football legend Lionel Messi's India visit is closer to becoming a reality. According to reports, the Argentine star is set to kickstart his trip in Kolkata where he is slated to land on December 12. The World Cup winner is expected to stay in the City of Joy for approximately two days and this shall be his longest halt on the tour.
A 70-feet statue of Messi will be unveiled by the man himself on VIP road on December 13 and the event organisers have claimed that this shall be the tallest-ever statue of the legend worldwide. The action then shifts to the iconic Eden Gardens where a GOAT concert is set to be staged.
An exhibition seven-a-side soft ball match is also being planned with the likes of Sourav Ganguly, John Abraham, Leander Paes and Bhaichung Bhutia expected to participate in the game alongside Messi. A masterclass with the Argentine is also in the roster and while all this has spiked the hype around Messi's tour, the organizers hope that their ambitious plans succeed.
"I don't want to mislead people. So basically, it will be a celebration of Messi, a master class with Messi. He will play the GOAT Cup in a seven-side soft-ball, soft-touch game with Sourav Ganguly, Leander Paes, John Abraham, Bhaichung Bhutia among others. It will be a celebration play in respect of Messi," said a source close to the organisers.
During the Eden Gardens function, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to felicitate Messi. After the gig at Kolkata, the 38-year-old will travel to Ahmedabad where a private event has been organised at Adani Foundation's Shantigram headquarters. It is expected to be a short stay in the city for Messi who shall then move to Mumbai for the next part of his India tour.
Contrary to earlier speculations, Messi will not be part of any cricket matches in the Mumbai leg. There were rumours of him participating in an exhibition game with present and past India cricketers but that plan, if it was there in the first place, is not happening. However, Messi will be interacting with India's football team and there could be another soft-ball exhibition game on the lines of what will be held in Kolkata.
Messi's India tour will wrap up in Delhi where he shall be interacting with PM Narendra Modi who shall felicitate the legend. A GOAT concert shall be held here, like in Kolkata and the event shall be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The common factor in Messi's visit to all four cities will be the masterclass sessions he is expected to handle with aspiring kids who intend to take football as their profession.
"Messi will be imparting masterclass with kids at every centre. The main idea is to celebrate Messi's success, giving little bit, for instance 30 to 40 minutes to motivate the young generation of players. So, masterclass and interaction with Messi.""
All the arrangements related to Messi's impending India tour have been made and an official announcement is expected from the football wizard soon, reportedly in his social media account.
Sports