Lionel Messi India GOAT Tour 2025: Lionel Messi, the football legend has officially kicked off his India tour. Set to visit Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, the Internet was served with a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Greeting him in a swarm of people, Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan shared a warm embrace with Messi during the Kolkata leg of the tour.
As both the icons proudly carry the title of ‘Goat – Greatest of all Time’, fans on social media could not contain their excitement. This marks Messi’s second visit to India since 2011. However, it is the debut of his tour to five Indian cities, filled with meet-and-greet sessions and even a ramp walk! Earlier today, Messi virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue made by artist Monti Pal, installed at the Sreebhumi Sporting Club in Lake Town.
Catch the live updates on Lionel Messi’s India tour here!
Messi’s meetup with SRK
During his visit to Kolkata, the Inter Miami winner is set to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Sourav Ganguly, too. Reacting to the now viral moment SRK shared with Messi, a netizen captioned the moment, “two goats in one frame.” While a second comment wrote, “From Bollywood to Ballon d’Or — royalty only.”
Remembering Shah Rukh Khan‘s blockbuster film Pathaan, the Internet wrote, “Pathaan meets Goat,” while another felt it was a ‘Two kings, one frame’ moment. However, football fans wondered why the King of Bollywood was not captured greeting Urugyan footballer Luis Suarez, standing beside Messi during the event. There were loud speculations that the GOAT of Bollywood met him in Kolkata due to his infamous ban from the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
VIDEO | Kolkata: Football icon Lionel Messi to virtually unveil his 70-foot statue from Salt Lake stadium, with West Bengal Minister Sujit Bose and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan present at the event.#LionelMessi #Kolkata #Football
(Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos –… pic.twitter.com/dqISIwMgl4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 13, 2025
“One Rules Hearts With Cinema, The Other Rules The Game With Magic,” shared a comment on X (formerly Twitter). The FIFA Star is all set to visit Mumbai tomorrow and greet his fans in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on December 15. This also let the Internet sleuths recall a viral moment from an event in Riyadh where Messi’s contemporary Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly ignored Salman Khan in the crowd, and walked past him.
However, following the backlash for dancing at several billionaire weddings, SRK was viewed through a lens of scepticism. Users online were quick to wonder if Messi even recognised him and how SRK is omnipresent at events involving international stars.
