New Delhi: Argentine football legend Lionel Messi has sent a signed 2022 World Cup jersey to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of his 75th birthday, ahead of his much-anticipated visit to India later this year.
Promoter Satadru Dutta, who is organizing Messi’s India tour, told PTI on Wednesday that the jersey will be delivered to the Prime Minister within the next few days. “When I met him in February to discuss the visit, I had told him that the PM’s 75th birthday is also coming and he said he would send a signed jersey for the Prime Minister,” Dutta said.
Dutta added that he is working to arrange a meeting between Messi and PM Modi during the footballer’s tour, which will include stopovers in Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi from December 13. The trip, titled GOAT Tour of India 2025, will conclude with Messi’s meeting with the Prime Minister at his residence in New Delhi on December 15.
Kolkata, known for its football craze, will be the first stop on the Argentine captain’s tour, followed by Mumbai and the national capital. This will be Messi’s first visit to India since 2011, when he led Argentina in a FIFA friendly against Venezuela at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.
Earlier this year, Dutta met Messi’s father to present the proposal, and later held a 45-minute discussion with Messi himself on February 28. Several events and programs are scheduled to be part of his visit.
Meanwhile, Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman last month confirmed that Argentina, led by coach Lionel Scaloni and featuring Messi, will play a friendly match in the state in November. The announcement followed confirmation from the Argentina Football Association (AFA) that the team would play friendlies in Luanda, Angola, and Kerala.