Shah Rukh Khan will meet football legend Lionel Messi at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on Dec 13. As part of his G.O.A.T Tour India 2025, Messi will visit Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi, unveil a Kolkata statue, and play an exhibition match in Hyderabad.
Bollywood superstar and National Award winner, Shah Rukh Khan, is gearing up for a special meeting with legendary footballer Lionel Messi during the Argentine star's visit to Kolkata on December 13 as part of the G.O.A.T Tour India 2025. Messi will tour India for three days and visit four major cities: Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and New Delhi.
Lionel Messi will make his first visit to Kolkata, where he will excite the fans with his presence at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium. He will unveil his life-size statue with him holding a FIFA World Cup trophy at the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club. By afternoon, the Argentine legend will head to Hyderabad before heading to Mumbai on December 14. Messi will mark the final visit of his tour in New Delhi, where he is expected to meet PM Narendra Modi.
Lionel Messi's visit to India will mark his first trip to the country since 2011, when he last came to play in a friendly match with Argentina. When the Argentine star visited India in 2011, he was in Kolkata to play a friendly match against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium, which saw Argentina win 1-0 and Messi was the star of the night, dazzling the crowd with his dribbling skills, creativity and command of the game.
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The excitement around Messi’s arrival in Kolkata is already sky-high, and Shah Rukh Khan's presence at the Salt Lake Stadium is expected to amplify the buzz even further.
The Bollywood superstar took to his official X handle (formerly Twitter) to announce his attendance at Kolkata's iconic football stadium, where he will legendary footballer and 8-time Ballon d'Or winner.
“This time round not planning my Knight in Kolkata…. and hoping the day Ride is completely ‘Messi’.” SRK wrote on X.
"See you guys on the 13th at the Salt Lake Stadium," he added.
Messi is scheduled to land in the city shortly after midnight and begin a packed day of engagements from the morning, including interactions with dignitaries like Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He will wrap up his Kolkata schedule by early afternoon before heading to Hyderabad.
Lionel Messi's Schedule for Three Cities
In Hyderabad, Messi is slated to play a special 7v7 exhibition match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expected to be in attendance. The evening will feature a musical celebration honouring Messi’s illustrious career, which will include live performances alongside football clinics and activities such as penalty shootouts and the youth training sessions led by Messi and Inter Miami teammates, Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul
The tour then moves west to Mumbai on December 14 and concludes in New Delhi on December 15, marking a pan-India celebration of one of football’s greatest icons — with a splash of Bollywood star power courtesy of Shah Rukh Khan.
Lionel Messi's India visit is expected to grab massive national headlines as Argentina legend set his foot on Indian soil for the first time in 14 overs.
