More Than Just A Messi Affair

With Lionel Messi's upcoming India trip, here is a look at some the historic visits of iconic footballers—including Pele and Maradona, to Zidane and Beckham—that has become part of the country's sporting folklore

- Ravi Raj

The underwhelming status of India in the world of football neither deters the fans from celebrating this game in all its glory, nor does it dampen their passion for the footballers they admire. In fact, it could be argued that the lack of any elite ballers in the country only heightens the adulation for international superstars. I remember when Lionel Messi came to India for the first time, in 2011, I was so desperate to catch a glimpse of him in the flesh that I implored my folks to let me tag along with an elder cousin who had a match pass. That never happened, though. This sort of desperation is common for Indian kids who are madly in love with the game. We don't have a proper league, nor star players, so when these global stars come to India, we swarm to them, wherever they go. Lionel Messi had experienced this Indian hospitality more than a decade ago, when he came to India to play a friendly match against Venezuela at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. But while that was just a single-day, single-city trip, what awaits now for the Indian fans is pretty tantalising. The Argentine footballer will be on a three-day trip to India in December, covering four cities: Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. Titled the 'GOAT Tour Of India', the tour will feature concerts, exhibition matches, and celebrity appearances from the likes of Tiger Shroff, Sourav Ganguly, and others.

Messi is not the first Argentine to visit India. Long before Messi, it was Diego Maradona who ruled the hearts and minds of Indian football fans. Before Maradona, it was the Brazilian legend Pelé. In a way, India has always had a footballing idol, and their love affair with South American footballers is a well-documented fact. Here's a chronicle of some of the greatest footballers who've graced Indian soil, laced with the anecdotes that turned their trips into folklore.

Lionel Messi's Schedule For India Trip