Lionel Messi landed in Kolkata at 2.26 am, triggering overnight celebrations as the football icon began his three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour 2025.
Lionel Messi is escorted in a high-security convoy after arriving in Kolkata early Saturday for the first leg of his GOAT India Tour. | ANI
Argentine football great Lionel Messi arrived in West Bengal’s capital, Kolkata, in the early hours of Saturday to a thunderous welcome, kicking off his three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour 2025.
Thousands of fans braved the December chill to catch a glimpse of the legend outside the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, where Messi landed at 2.26 am.
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Videos circulating on social media showed scenes of celebration as Gate 4 of the international arrivals turned into a sea of Argentina flags, chants and flashing phone cameras. Supporters sprinted between gates, hoping for even a fleeting view of Messi in Kolkata.
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Children sat atop shoulders, drums rolled through the night, and chants of “Messi! Messi!” echoed as the Barcelona legend was escorted out through the VIP gate under heavy security. A tightly guarded convoy then took him to his hotel, where another large crowd had gathered well past dawn.
Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour schedule, set for Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi
Messi was accompanied by long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul. However, the night-long vigil ended in disappointment for many fans 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.
Only a few airport personnel caught a brief glimpse of the World Cup winner as he disembarked from the private Gulfstream V, wearing a black suit over a white T-shirt, before being driven straight off the tarmac.
The Hyatt Regency soon became the epicentre of the frenzy, with fans running through corridors chanting Messi’s name. The lobby resembled an Argentine fan zone, dotted with sky-blue jerseys, scarves and flags. Some supporters booked rooms at the hotel, hoping to stay close to Lionel Messi in India, while others camped through the night.
Messi checked into Room 730. The entire seventh floor has been sealed off to prevent movement near his suite.
Tour promoter Satadru Dutta described the moment as historic for the city.
“In 2011, he had come after becoming the captain, but now he is coming after winning the World Cup and his eighth Ballon d’Or.
So, this is really special. I don’t think he will come again, so it’s about celebration,” Dutta told the media.
Security was tightened across Kolkata ahead of Messi’s India tour, with police deployment at key points, sniffer dog checks and heightened surveillance around the hotel.
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