Widely regarded as the magic man in the world of football, Lionel Messi, arguably one of the greatest footballers to have walked the planet, ended his GOAT India tour in Delhi on Monday, December 15, 2025 amid much fanfare after Hyderabad and Mumbai rolled out the red carpet for the Argentine World Cup-winning captain, embracing him like few cities ever have, with both stops turning into smooth, memorable celebrations.
The chaos in Kolkata, where the tour began, is perhaps now a distant memory, lost in the pages of history. At least, for now, that’s how the football lovers in the City of Joy would like it to be – even better if they could get the opportunity to erase it from their memory completely. But hindsight isn’t a remedy for what’s already gone by.
It feels almost unreal now, but on a humid September evening in 2011, Indian sport paused to witness a landmark moment. Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, turned into a cathedral of football as Messi, already the world’s most mesmerising footballer by then, walked out wearing Argentina’s colours, not on European or Latin American turf, but on Indian soil to take on Venezuela in what was India’s first-ever international football friendly match.
It wasn’t just India creating history. The world saw a young 24-year-old donning the captain’s armband for the first time for La Albiceleste, laying the foundation for a great era in leadership that saw him take his team to the 2014 World Cup final, before finally scaling the summit with the title in 2022.
The Times Group was at the heart of it all, whose Managing Director, Vineet Jain, handed the winners’ trophy to Messi after Argentina defeated Venezuela 1-0, courtesy of Nicolas Otamendi, who scored the winner in the 55th minute of the game, in front of a packed Salt Lake stadium with approximately 85,000 spectators in the stands. It wasn’t just a presentation ceremony. It was a handshake between global sporting excellence and India’s growing ambition on the world stage, making a billion people believe that we can be trusted with the biggest names, the biggest stages, and the biggest emotions.
With Messi’s four-day visit to India coming to an end, Argentina’s match against Venezuela, held in association with The Times of India, will always hold a special place for the people of Kolkata; something that will go far beyond the footballing spectacle that was on display that night. Even more so now, as it might resurface with renewed warmth, filled with a bit more drama to gently heal the scars left by the recent chaos. It will at least leave them with something to cling to in a world where hope still triumphs all.
Just like life, sport always offers a second chance. Kolkata might have its too, in the distant future. Someday.