"Indian Express" reported that Hyderabad has replaced Ahmedabad as one of the city stops for Messi's 2025 Indian GOAT tour.
Messi's tour will start in Kolkata on December 13, and the sponsor event originally scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad has now been changed to Mumbai. Instead, Messi will stay in Hyderabad to interact with fans and celebrities from all walks of life.
Event organizer Satadru Dutta confirmed to the "Indian Express" on Saturday: "The event has been confirmed to be held in Hyderabad, and the original schedule from Ahmedabad has been adjusted to Mumbai."
The new Hyderabad stop is because the Argentina team was originally scheduled to hold a friendly match in Cochin on November 17. Dutta said that in the adjusted schedule, Messi's tour will kick off in Kolkata on December 13, transfer to Hyderabad that night, then arrive in Mumbai on December 14, and finally end in New Delhi on December 15. Messi was originally scheduled to fly to Ahmedabad on the evening of December 13.
Dutta also revealed that the GOAT Cup seven-a-side football friendly match originally scheduled to be held in Kolkata and Mumbai will also add a Hyderabad stop. The starting price of tickets is expected to be 3,500 rupees. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will present an honorary commemoration to Messi during the event.
This tour will also welcome Uruguayan superstar Luis Suarez and Argentinian player De Paul, both of whom are close friends and long-term teammates of Messi.
Ticket sales at various stations have received an enthusiastic response. According to data from the ticket sales platform district.in, all 28,000 seats (tickets starting from 6,980 rupees) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai have been sold out. Kolkata's 68,000-capacity stadium is nearly full, with tickets starting at 4,366 rupees. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi can accommodate 28,000 spectators, and tickets start from 7,670 rupees, which is also almost sold out.
This will be Messi's second visit to India. Previously, he played with Argentina in a friendly match against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium. It is worth mentioning that that game was the first game in Messi's career as the captain of Argentina. Dutta revealed earlier that he had shown the Messi team video materials of the game, as well as photos of a 75-foot-tall Messi holding the World Cup statue. This statue was unveiled by Ronaldinho in 2023 and stood in the Durga Puja celebration shrine at the time.
Dutta said that Martin and Ronaldinho, who visited Kolkata in 2023, both actively recommended the experience to Messi, which prompted him to agree to this tour. He said: "When I invited Martinez and Ronaldinho to Kolkata, I told them that they were working hard to facilitate Messi's trip to India, and their evaluation was crucial. If they could speak kindly to Messi's team and even himself, it would be of great help. Fortunately, I completed the reception in a thorough and rigorous manner, and they finally spoke highly of Messi."
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