Thousands of fans had gathered at the Kolkata airport to welcome football legend Lionel Messi, who arrived in the city in the early hours of Saturday for his four-city GOAT India Tour 2025.
The ‘Messi mania’ was palpable with fans sprinting between gates for even a fleeting glimpse of their favourite star.
The Argentina superstar arrived with long-time strike partner Luis Suarez and national teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
#WATCH | West Bengal | Star footballer Lionel Messi arrives in Kolkata, officially kicking off his G.O.A.T India Tour 2025. Visuals from outside the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. pic.twitter.com/WCcWeiH2D8
— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2025
“We have been waiting for two hours. If needed, we will wait for even four hours. We can't miss this one in a lifetime opportunity,” one of his fans told ANI.
Over the next four days, Messi will travel across Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, meeting chief ministers, corporate leaders, Bollywood celebrities and eventually Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
The GOAT India Tour 2025 is designed as a pan-India celebration, beginning in the East (Kolkata) and South (Hyderabad) on December 13, continuing to the West (Mumbai) on December 14, and concluding in the North (Delhi) on December 15.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal | Amidst a horde of fans celebrating Argentine footballer Lionel Messi's touchdown in India, a local girl holds a placard that reads 'Save the Indian Football'.
— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2025
Visuals from outside the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. pic.twitter.com/oOh2DzMsiQ
This is the first time Messi has arrived in India since 2011 when he visited Kolkata and played a friendly match between Argentina and Venezuela.
Security has been tightened at the Hyatt Regency, where Messi checked into Room 730. The entire seventh floor was sealed off to ensure no movement around his suite.
However, according to reports, the lobby of the hotel turned chaotic as fans sprinted across corridors shouting "Messi! Messi!" that echoed well past dawn.
Some fans who could afford it booked rooms in the hotel to stay as close to Messi as possible, reported PTI.
