Lionel Messi’s historic return to India on December 13 for a 3 day multi-city tour just got more exciting for Indian football fans across the nation. The GOAT (greatest of all time) in the sport of football will now be accompanied by the ‘king’ of Indian cinema at the Salt Lake stadium on December 13 that is day after tomorrow. The confirmation came from actor Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday afternoon as he assured fans of his participation in the mega sporting event.
Lionel Messi is officially returning to India in December 2025, making it one of the biggest football moments the country has seen since his 2011 Kolkata appearance where he played a friendly against Venezuela at the same venue.
The G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025, branded as “A Satadru Dutta Initiative”, will take the football icon across four major cities from December 13 to 15 in a first-of-its-kind multi-city fan event in India. Each city event includes a 7v7 exhibition match, football clinics, musical concerts, and felicitation ceremonies.
What did SRK say?
The Pathan star took to social media to announce his appearance at the Salt Lake stadium and made a pun involving his IPL franchise Kolkata Night Riders to break the news to his fans.
“This time round not planning my Knight in Kolkata…. and hoping the day Ride is completely ‘Messi’. See you guys on the 13th at the Salt Lake Stadium, ” Shah Rukh Khan posted on X.
John Abraham, Sourav Ganguly and other celebs to join SRK
Marking the opening leg of Messi’s India tour, ceremonies at the capital of West Bengal are expected to begin with a bang to welcome the much beloved football icon to the birthplace of Indian football.
Ceremonies celebrating Messi are expected to begin from 10:30 am on December 13. As per the tour’s itinerary, the soccer star is to start the first day of his tour by virtually unveiling his biggest ever statue’, a humungous 70-foot structure near the stadium.
A crowd of more than 70,000 is expected at the Salt Lake stadium, the only ground on which Messi had played before in 2011. As per multiple media reports the state CM Mamata Banerjee alongside cricketer Sourav Ganguly, John Abraham and Shah Rukh Khan are expected to participate in the 7×7 exhibition match with Messi.