Lionel Messi has arrived in India: Full itinerary of the GOAT tour

Lionel Messi has arrived in India for the first time since 2011. (Image credits - Heute, Licence Details)

Lionel Messi has arrived in India and will begin his tour from Kolkata in the early morning hours before he travels to Hyderabad, Mumbai and the capital – New Delhi.

The football icon will unveil his massive 70 ft statue at Lake Town, Kolkata, virtually from the Salt Lake stadium before proceeding with the other events scheduled.

He is set to be accompanied by his Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez.

Day One, 13th December: Kolkata and Hyderabad

Messi and his teammates will be spending the night in the five-star Hyatt Regency hotel in E.M Bypass, Kolkata, and will begin the day with the inauguration of “Monumento de Messi” – the largest statue built in honour of the Argentine icon. Due to security reasons, the inauguration event will take place virtually.

The 38-year-old will then head to the Salt Lake Stadium for the felicitation ceremony, which will begin at 10 a.m. IST. As reported, the five gates of the stadium are set to open at 8:30 a.m. IST for the fans.

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, cricket legend Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet the Argentine football captain during the felicitation ceremony.

It'll be followed by an exhibition match with celebrities, a sporting event with young talents and a penalty shootout with the Argentine superstar to conclude the event. The event is set to end at 1:30 p.m. IST.

Messi will then fly to Hyderabad on the same day, where he is set to feature in an exhibition match titled the “GOAT Cup” alongside the chief minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium from 7 p.m. IST.

Later in the day, he will visit the iconic Falaknuma Palace for a private meet-and-greet session, whose tickets cost around 10 lakhs INR, where multiple celebrities will also be present.

Day Two, 14th December: Mumbai

Messi will travel to the financial capital of India on the second day of his GOAT tour, where he is set to visit the Cricket Club of India for a fashion show event and a padel match with cricketers, followed by an event in the Wankhede Stadium.

Lionel Messi’s equivalent in cricket – Sachin Tendulkar – is set to feature in the padel match alongside Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Subhman Gill.

The fashion show will feature Bollywood celebrities and a 45-minute-long event to honour the World Cup winner. The events in Wankhede will begin at 7 p.m. IST.

To conclude his day, he will take part in an event to groom young talents of the nation – 30 boys and 30 girls under Project Mahadev.

Final Day, 15th December: New Delhi

On his last day of the tour, Messi will visit the capital of India, where he will attend an event at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, followed by a meet-and-greet session with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Minerva Punjab Academy, which won 3 European youth trophies in the summer this year, will be felicitated by Messi, and a similar youth talent grooming session like in Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad will take place.

The events in Arun Jaitley Stadium will begin at 12:30 p.m. IST.

Broadcast of the GOAT tour

The GOAT tour featuring Messi will be broadcast on Sony Liv and the Sony Television network for fans who couldn't attend the events live.

Messi's arrival in India for the first time since 2011 is set to be celebrated like a festival in the country to honour the legacy of the football icon and fulfil the dreams of millions of his fans to see him live.