Messi’s Kolkata leg begins later on Saturday with a closed-door sponsors’ meet before he heads to the Salt Lake Stadium, the centrepiece of the day’s celebrations. Scheduled to arrive at the venue at 10.50 am, Messi will interact with players from the Mohun Bagan ‘Messi’ All Stars and Diamond Harbour ‘Messi’ All Stars, who will face off in a special exhibition match. The programme also includes the felicitation of Bengal’s Santosh Trophy-winning team and a “Master Class with Messi”, aimed at young footballers from across the state.
Long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul will be part of the event, along with actor Shah Rukh Khan. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and several dignitaries are expected to attend. Messi will take a lap of honour at the stadium before virtually unveiling a 70-foot statue of himself at Lake Town, a first-of-its-kind tribute that has already become a talking point in the city.
From Kolkata, Messi will fly out at 2.05 pm to Hyderabad for the evening leg of the tour at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The Hyderabad programme features a short exhibition match, a football clinic for children and a felicitation ceremony. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is scheduled to make a brief appearance during the event.
The tour then moves to Mumbai, where Messi will headline an event at the Wankhede Stadium. The Mumbai leg also includes a philanthropic fashion showcase involving Messi, Suárez and De Paul, preceded by a Padel Cup at the Cricket Club of India, blending sport, charity and celebrity appeal.
The final stop is Delhi, where Messi is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The capital’s programme includes the felicitation of Minerva Academy’s triple youth-trophy-winning teams and a nine-a-side celebrity football match, rounding off the India visit.
Satadru Dutta, the sole promoter of the tour who received Messi at the airport in the early hours of Saturday, described the visit as a landmark moment for Kolkata and Indian football. He recalled Messi’s earlier visit to the city in 2011 but said this appearance carried a different weight.
“This time he is coming after winning the World Cup and his eighth Ballon d’Or. That makes it truly special. I don’t think he will come again, so this visit is about celebration and legacy,” Dutta said.
According to Dutta, the scale of sponsorship and corporate interest surrounding the tour is unprecedented for a footballer in India and could have lasting benefits. He said even a fraction of the investment generated by Messi’s visit could significantly aid grassroots development, infrastructure and youth programmes, offering Indian football a rare moment of global spotlight and momentum.
