Messi Says “I’ll Be Back” — But After Kolkata Chaos, Should He Return to India?

Lionel Messi promised to return as his G.O.A.T. India Tour ended on a high in Delhi, but chaos in Kolkata raised uncomfortable questions: was this football’s biggest visit also its biggest letdown?

When Lionel Messi finally took the microphone at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday evening, the words travelled far beyond the stands. “We will definitely return, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India,” Messi said, speaking in Spanish to a crowd that barely understood the language—but understood the emotion perfectly.

For many, it was the moment they had waited years for. The world’s greatest footballer, smiling, waving, promising a return. Confetti fell. Phones rose. Chants grew louder.

And yet, beneath the euphoria, a question lingered uncomfortably in the air: Should he come back at all?

Delhi’s Redemption After Kolkata’s Collapse

There is no denying that Delhi delivered what Kolkata could not.

The final leg of the G.O.A.T. India Tour ended in a blaze of glory after a start so chaotic it embarrassed Indian sport. Around 25,000 fans packed the Arun Jaitley Stadium, many dressed in Argentina’s blue and white, chanting Messi’s name as he took a lap of honour.

“Although it was short and intense, it was wonderful to receive all this love that I knew existed, but receiving it directly was amazing. It was a crazy experience, everything they did for us these days,” Messi added.

For 30 minutes, football took centre stage. Messi kicked balls into the stands, played with children, felicitated the Minerva Academy team, and shared smiles with Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. ICC chairman Jay Shah presented him with an Indian jersey bearing No. 10.

It was orderly. It was celebratory. It worked. But it also felt like damage control.

The Fans Who Came Anyway

For fans like Amog and Arnav Purohit, the Delhi event was not entertainment—it was pilgrimage.

“This was a dream come true moment for us,” Amog was quoted as saying in a PTI report. “Watching him live… ideally, we would have liked to see him play, but unfortunately, that couldn’t happen.”

“The crowd management could have been better. He was here for a really short time,” Amog admitted, disappointment carefully wrapped in gratitude.

Arnav had flown in from Bengaluru. “For him we can do anything,” he said simply.

That line captures the imbalance of this tour perfectly. Fans gave everything. The system gave them moments.

Kolkata: Where Everything Went Wrong

The reason Delhi felt triumphant is because Kolkata was catastrophic.

Eyewitnesses described a security breakdown that bordered on farce. Messi was swarmed by politicians, organisers, photographers and hangers-on, all desperate for selfies. The pushing and jostling made him visibly uncomfortable.

“Many people were getting too close to Messi, Suarez and De Paul, even near their necks,” said former footballer Rahim Nabi. “From a distance, it was clear he was uneasy with the crowd’s behaviour.”

Former TMC MLA Dipendu Biswas recalled how Messi was expected to take a symbolic penalty. “He was taken aback by the advancing group of selfie-seekers and then taken away from the field. Everything happened very abruptly.”

The players were withdrawn. The programme ended in 20 minutes. Fans who had paid hefty sums saw nothing.

What followed was anger, vandalism, broken chairs, hurled bottles—and national shame.

“This is deeply embarrassing,” admitted senior TMC MP Sougata Roy. “A global icon like Messi came all the way from Argentina and could not stay for the full programme because of a few overenthusiastic people.”

“A Quiet Sadness” That Refuses to Go Away

Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra put words to what many felt but struggled to articulate.

“As his recent visit to India unfolded parts of it felt chaotic and left me quietly uneasy,” Bindra wrote.

“Millions were spent for moments of proximity photographs and fleeting access to a legend.”

Bindra was careful not to blame Messi. “I do not fault Messi in any way. He has earned every opportunity that comes his way.”

Instead, he asked the uncomfortable question:

“As a society are we building a culture of sport or are we simply celebrating individuals from afar?”

That question hangs over Messi’s promise to return.

“This Will Be Remembered for 50 Years”

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey was blunter, almost brutal in his assessment.

“This incident will act as an impediment,” he warned. “Its impact will be felt for 50 years in Bengal.”

Calling football “soft power”, Chaubey reminded organisers that when Messi travels, the world media follows. What they saw in Kolkata was not passion—it was mismanagement.

“What happened at the Salt Lake Stadium was avoidable,” he said. “This will be remembered for a long time.”

Messi Will Be Back. But India Must Decide Why.

Messi leaves India with smiles, memories, and another chapter added to his global legend. He won hearts in Delhi. He inspired awe, once again, without kicking a single competitive ball.

But inspiration without intent fades quickly.

If Messi returns only for more barricaded appearances, more VIP scrambles, more five-hour waits for 30-minute glimpses, then perhaps he shouldn’t.

Because the real tragedy of the G.O.A.T. India Tour is not that it went wrong—it’s that it showed exactly how little we learned.

Messi said, “We will definitely return.”

The harder question is whether Indian sport will be ready when he does.