&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Watch: Lionel Messi arrives in Kolkata for GOAT tour, fans throng airport with tight security measures in place")
Legendary Argentina star Lionel Messi arrived in India’s Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday (Dec 13) 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 Kolkata with high security measures in place.
Messi arrives in India
The much-anticipated tour will kick off on Saturday, where Messi will be seen meeting former India cricketer Sourav Ganguly, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who will also be in attendance. Fans were seen cheering for Messi, who arrived in Kolkata in the early hours, before he was escorted to his hotel by high security. Fans were seen singing Messi’s name, while the Argentine’s posters and banners were also a highlight reel in the early hours.
Messi’s 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
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The 2022 World Cup winner 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 the Argentine will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before concluding his tour at an event in New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
