Lionel Messi arrived in Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday morning as he begins his GOAT tour. Messi, who is considered by many to be the greatest player to play football, arrived in India for his second
tour, having last played in 2011 in a friendly match. Fans were seen thronging the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkaata with high security measures in place.
Messi was accompanied by his Argentina team mates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul. However, fans who were waiting for glimpse at the airport were disappointed as Messi was taken straight from the airport to his hotel via a back entrance around 3.30 am, denying most supporters a chance to catch a glimpse of their icon.
Watch the video here
G.O.A.T Leo Messi in our lence 🎥🐐 pic.twitter.com/RHYEwGWiOn
— lndian Sports Netwrk (@IS_Netwrk29) December 12, 2025
Messi schedule in Kolkata
9:30 am to 10:30 am: Meet-and-greet programme
10:30 am to 11:15 am: Virtual inauguration of Messi’s statue
11:15 am to 11:25 am: Arrival at Yuva Bharati
11:30 am: Shah Rukh Khan arrives at Yuva Bharati
12:00 pm: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Sourav Ganguly arrive at the stadium
12:00 pm to 12:30 pm: Friendly match, felicitation and interaction
2:00 pm: Departure for Hyderabad
Messi will be in Kolkata until 2 pm before he leaves for Hyderabad, where he is scheduled to play a charity match that involves Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. The GOAT tour will then head to Mumbai, where Messi will again play a charity match and later participate in a fashion event, which will also see him team up with Luis Suarez. The last day of the tour will be in New Delhi as Messi will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before concluding his tour at an event in New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. This is the schedule for Messi and fans are absolutely thrilled to witness their hero live. Across the city, anticipation is reaching a fever pitch.
