After 14 years, football legend Lionel Messi is set to return to India in December 2025, raising the excitement and heartbeats of Indian football fans across the country. Messi officially confirmed his visit via social media on October 2, coinciding with the festive Dussehra celebrations, announcing his “GOAT India Tour.”

The tour will span four cities over three days: starting in Kolkata (Salt Lake Stadium) on December 13, then to Ahmedabad, Mumbai (Wankhede Stadium) on December 14, and concluding in New Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium) on December 15. During these events, Messi will participate in concerts, youth football clinics, padel cups, and charity initiatives.

Messi expressed his eagerness to visit India, calling it a “beautiful country” with “fond memories” from his last visit in 2011, when he played at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. He mentioned it is “an honor” to return and expressed excitement about engaging with a new generation of Indian football fans and meeting important personalities and celebrities, with a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

Kolkata’s leg of the tour will see Messi sharing the field with Indian sporting icons like Sourav Ganguly, Bhaichung Bhutia, and Leander Paes, along with concerts and special events including unveiling a 25-foot-high mural and his largest statue. In Mumbai, Messi will headline the Padel GOAT Cup, expected to feature a star-studded celebrity lineup including Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, and MS Dhoni.