Messi to visit India in December, Kerala not on his travel plan

Kolkata: Football legend Lionel Messi is set to visit India from December 12 to 15 this year. However, fans in Kerala may be disappointed, as no city in the state features on the itinerary of the Argentinian football icon.

Messi will land in Kolkata and take part in various events, including an interaction with members of the Indian football team. Besides Kolkata, he is also scheduled to attend programmes in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi, PTI reported, citing the event organisers. 

The organisers also said that Messi will soon make an announcement on the visit and the events on his official social media account.

However, discussions on a probable game of the Argentina football team in Kerala have no connection with Messi's upcoming visit to the country. 

Messi’s visit in December this year would be his second trip to India. His earlier tour was in September 2011, when he took part in a friendly football match between Argentina and Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

The schedule of Messi's India visit is as follows:
December 12- Arrival in Kolkata at night.

December 13- Messi will unveil his 70-feet-high statue in Kolkata at 9 am. The organisers claimed that it will be the tallest statue of Messi in the world. Messi will then head to Salt Lake Stadium to play an exhibition softball match. Tennis star Leander Paes, former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly and football player Bhaichung Bhutia will join Messi in the game.
Later in the evening, Messi will travel to Ahmedabad to attend a private event.

December 14- Arriving in Mumbai, Messi will participate in an interaction with celebrities at the Cricket Club of India (CCI). In the evening, he will play an exhibition softball match along with cricket and bollywood stars. A discussion with the Indian men's football team will follow.

December 15- Messi will reach New Delhi and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will later address his fans at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.