The visit of Lionel Messi A trip to India as part of his tour called “GOAT Tour” caused a real craze in the Asian country. The event boarding the Argentine star reached a climax with the unveiling of the 21-meter-high statue dedicated to him, the largest ever erected in his honor, West Bengal Minister Sujit Bose confirmed.
The sculpture was officially presented in Salt Lake StadiumCalcutta, a venue with a capacity of 70,000 spectators, is nearby Diego Maradonainstalled in the same city after the former footballer’s visit in 2017. For security reasons, Messi witnessed the inauguration ceremony virtually, along with Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul.
After unveiling the statue, the man from Rosario said: “Thank you for this recognition. The truth is that it is an honor and a pleasure to be here. I know how much people love the World Cup and the support we had. I am very grateful and very happy to be able to share these days here with them because I know that they love us and the Argentine team very, very much.”
“I am happy about this monument. The truth is that it is a beauty. And as I said, grateful for the love and for this great deed,” concluded the captain of Inter Miami and the Argentine team.
Messi’s trip to India is his second visit to the country, having played a friendly against Venezuela with the Argentina team in 2011. The statue in Calcutta joins a number of other tributes, such as the bronze sculpture inaugurated in Argentina in 2016 and the project announced by Barcelona president Joan Laporta to install a statue at the Camp Nou stadium.
Messi, De Paul and Suárez arrived in India aboard a Surjet Gulfstream 5 private jet, accompanied by Alejandro Calian, a friend of the midfielder with a racing past.
After the inauguration of the monument, the itinerary continued. The event had raised great expectations among local fans, who hoped to keep a fond memory of the Rosario left-hander’s visit. However, after the unrest in the USA, an institutional crisis arose Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
The Argentine star’s brief appearance, which lasted barely 20 minutes and ended with his evacuation into police custody, sparked a wave of discontent among those present and led to the launch of a formal investigation by local authorities.
As the EFE agency reported, the situation escalated with allegations of corruption and fraud against the organizers, while the head of government of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjeeannounced the formation of a committee chaired by a retired judge Ashim Kumar Ray to clarify the matter and determine who is responsible for security deficiencies.
In the final part of the event, the tension became palpable as thousands of supporters became frustrated at the inability to see up close MessiThey began throwing plastic seats and other objects onto the field and scaling the security fences.
The event that raised unusual expectations and whose tickets reached a maximum price of 12,000 rupees (just over $132)was abruptly interrupted after several helpers stormed into the security area. The ANI agency collected the statement of a fan who expressed the following: “Only leaders and actors surrounded Messi… Then why did they call us? We got a ticket of 12,000 rupees but couldn’t even see his face.”.
The official reaction was immediate. Banerjee stated via her account on X (formerly Twitter): “I am deeply dismayed and shocked by the mismanagement seen at Salt Lake Stadium today.”. The President explained that the designated committee will conduct a thorough investigation, identify those responsible and recommend measures to avoid similar incidents in the future. The Deputy Minister of Education, Sukanta MajumderAccording to EFE, he blamed the regional ruling party and denounced alleged irregularities in ticket sales and the management of the event.
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