Football legend Lionel Messi is coming to India this December, and fans are very excited. However, rumours that he will play a cricket match with stars like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are false.
Satadru Dutta, the organiser of Messi’s visit, clearly said there will be no cricket match. In a Facebook post on August 3, he said, “Messi is a footballer, and the focus will be on football, not cricket.” He added that some Indian celebrities may talk to Messi about cricket, but he won’t be playing it.
In a Facebook Live on August 5, Dutta repeated that Messi’s tour is to promote football in India. Even though a report mentioned a possible cricket match in Mumbai on December 14, the organisers and Messi’s team have not confirmed it.
Lionel Messi’s India Tour Schedule
Lionel Messi will visit Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. His tour begins in Kolkata on December 12 with a statue unveiling and events like the “GOAT Concert” and “GOAT Cup” at Eden Gardens. He will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15 in Delhi.
This is Messi’s first trip to India since 2011, when he played a football match in Kolkata as Argentina’s captain.
Although Messi once tried cricket in a 2013 ad, fans should not expect to see him play during this visit. The entire tour will be about celebrating and promoting football in India.