 "Lionel Messi will be India from December 13 to 15 for a four-city tour. AFP")
Lionel Messi is coming to India for a four-city tour next month in what will be his first visit to the country since 2011. Regarded as one of the greatest football players in the history of the sport, Messi has a massive fan following in India.
Indian fans of the Argentinian superstar often erect large-scale cut-out statues of Messi to pay him tribute. One such statue in a Durga Puja pandal played a big role in convincing Messi to come to India and it was all due to the effort of one man - Satadru Dutta.
Getting close to Messi
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Dutta is a sports promoter and a global event organiser of repute. He also loves football and has previously facilitated India visits of global icons like Pele, Diego Maradona, and Ronaldinho. Once Messi won the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Dutta was determined that the Argentinian superstar will be brought to India.
As per a report in The Hindustan Times, he started his planning soon after the World Cup. He first succeeded in bringing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who played a key role in La Albiceleste’s triumph in Qatar, to India.
Then Dutta managed to convince Ronaldinho for an India tour. He targetted Martinez and Ronaldinho because these two are considered close to Messi.
“So basically, I brought in the two people closest to Messi. I told them, ‘Give Messi a good review of this place.’ The ultimate dream is to bring Messi,” Dutta told The Hindustan Times.
Durga Puja tribute’s role in bringing Messi
Dutta was not just targetting footballers close to Messi but he was also building his case at home to make sure the biggest star of the football world is impressed when he meets him.
“During Durga Puja, I created a huge statue of Messi as a tribute to his World Cup win. All of that became part of the build-up, and eventually I got a connection that allowed me to meet Jorge Messi, his father,” Dutta said.
Because of his strong portfolio in managing large-scale events, Dutta managed to convince Jorge to consider his proposal of Messi’s India tour. However, the final decision still was to be made by Messi.
And eight months after his efforts, Dutta finally met Messi to explain his proposal.
“So after eight months, I finally got an opportunity to meet Leo. I had done my homework, made good progress, and shared my entire plan with him. In February 2025, I met him in person, and that’s when everything truly began. The first thing he said was, ‘I’ll go. For the rest, speak with my dad.’ I showed him everything I had worked on — especially the monument — and that became the game changer. After that, we finalised the financial details, and he agreed to come this October,” Dutta said.
Dutta explained that the entire build-up helped him convince Messi to commit to an India tour.
“These global icons aren’t easy to reach, especially Messi, because he has no infatuation with money. So money wasn’t the deciding factor; it was the build-up and the work I’ve done over the last 14 years,” he said.
When is GOAT India Tour?
The GOAT India Tour starts December 13 in Kolkata. The same evening, Messi and Co will move to Hyderabad before going to Mumbai the next day. On December 15, the legend will be in New Delhi.
Dutta said Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez will also be part of the entire tour and while he did not confirm if Indian celebrities will be there or not, he did say that big names will be in the event.