While his first trip to India was a memorable one, his second visit here, especially his return to Kolkata, was an absolute nightmare
Published: September 1, 2026, 3:41 PM IST
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Pictures from Lionel Messi’s GOAT India tour last year(Credits: IANS)
Eight-time Ballon d’or winner Lionel Messi called time on his illustrious international career on Monday as he penned an emotional note on his Instagram handle, which has broke the internetTons and tons of reactions have come in since Messi made the announcement with many of his former teammates, including current and ex players also reacting to the development.
This comes after Argentina’s loss in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final against Spain and the passing of Lionel Messi’s father Jorge MessiThe former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward wrote that he gave Argentina whatever he had and that he does not have anything else to offer.
As he brings his two decade long international career to an end, there is something, specifically a fact that not many people know aboutLionel Messi’s first-ever match as Argentina’s full-time captain was actually in India.
The date was September 2, 2011 when Argentina flew to the City of joy – Kolkata – for an international friendly exhibition match against VenezuelaFootball is a very popular sport in West Bengal and to witness two South American teams was an absolute delight for the fans.
Also Read: Lionel Messi retirement: Here are some of the top international records of the Argentinian ‘GOAT’
What made the occasion even more special was the presence of Lionel MessiIt was his first-ever trip to the football loving state and the Salt Lake Stadium witnessed Argentina beat Venezuela 1-0Central defender Nicholas Otamendi scored the only goal of the match and it was assisted by none other than Messi himself.
While his first trip to India was a memorable one, his second visit here, especially his return to Kolkata, was an absolute nightmareThe tour, which was named as the “GOAT India tour 2025”, kicked-off in the worst way possible at the Salt Lake Stadium, where unexpected and and unwanted scenes unfolded.
Fans inside the venue were left disappointed and extremely angry at the organizers as Lionel Messi stayed and greeted the fans only for 10-20 minutesMost of the fans paid hefty sums to see the record Ballon d’or winner and they somehow felt betrayed for what happened.
There was severe mismanagement and overcrowding at the Salt Lake Stadium and that restricted Messi’s appearance to just 10 to 20 minutesWhat followed was absolute carnageThe fans threw water bottles and whatever possible inside the pitch with many also ripping off the seats and causing damage to stadium properties.
It created an ugly scene and one that will go down as one of the most infamous incidents during a prominent sports personality’s to IndiaThankfully, later in the tour, there was no such mismanagement in the other cities like New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, where Messi met some big names and also circled around to greet the fans along with Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez.
