Lionel Messi arrived at the International Airport at 3:30am this Saturday Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Calcutta, India, and unleashed a tremendous demonstration of his devotion. The beginning of him The goat tour In four Indian cities, he turned the airport into a place of pilgrimage: thousands of fans blocked the entrances and waited for hours to see him, some since the night before, local television reported.
There was a celebratory atmosphere in the central hall of the airport. Entire families, teenagers and children chanted the name of the world champion captain in Qatar 2022 with T-shirts of the Argentine national team with the number 10 on the back, others wore the colors of Argentine clubs, including Boca. Messi, accompanied by the Uruguayan Luis Suarez and for Spanish Pepe Costahis loyal buddy, got off the plane wearing a blue jacket and was met by a strong security guard who immediately accompanied him.
The device included a convoy of at least ten company cars that took him to the hotel. At the airport exit there was a spontaneous stampede of fans trying to get close to the Argentine captain, a scene that was repeated at the accommodation door, where another crowd waited for his arrival as if it were a unique event.
The Indian press circulated images of the impact his arrival created: massive sales of T-shirts, scarves, flags and even new murals dedicated to Messi on the streets of Calcutta. For many, his presence is not just the visit of an athlete, but the arrival of a person who they consider part of their emotional life and whose career inspires them even from a distance.
Messi will tour four cities in India for a series of tributes and commercial engagements, including the inauguration of a 21-meter-high statue in his honor, the tour’s central event.
The largest sculpture honoring the Argentine star is located in the Lake Town district and was built at the initiative of the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club, an organization with strong roots in the sporting and cultural life of Kolkata, where Messi has many admirers.
The captain and historic striker of the “Albiceleste” team, who would attend the inauguration virtually for security reasons, is expected in India as part of the “GOAT Tour” and will make a stopover in Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi after a visit to Kolkata, where it will be announced that he will play a friendly match.
Messi, winner of eight editions of the Ballon d’Or and newly crowned American MLS champion with Inter Miami, could meet with the prime minister during his stay Narendra Modiwith Shah Rukh KhanBollywood superstar, and with the captain of the national cricket team, Saurav Ganguly.
The star considered his visit to India an “honor”, “a very special country that I have fond memories of when I visited 14 years ago, with fantastic fans,” he stressed in an official statement.
The arrival also brought back memories of his last visit to the country in 2011, when Argentina took on Venezuela in a friendly match on the same stage in Kolkata. That evening, the national team won 1-0 with a goal from Nicolás Otamendi from a corner from Messi. Fourteen years later, the devotion awakened at that time was repeated again with the same intensity.
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