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When Lionel Messi Left an Everlasting Impression on India’s City of Joy, Kolkata

The name messi means the world to bengalis in kolkata and all over west bengal as the football-crazy state's fandom is a testament of his everlasting impression. .

Published: June 24, 2022 3:38 PM IST

By Debayan Bhattacharyya

New Delhi:  Lionel Messi turns 35 today and the whole world is busy pouring in the best of wishes to their beloved idol. He has been loved and adored through out the globe, but there is one such place La Pulga visited, where he has found himself a special corner in the hearts of the people.

It was 31st August,2011 🤩 Lionel Messi in KOLKATA 🔥🔥 Messi 🐐 in action during the historic Argentina vs Venezuela international friendly at Salt Lake Stadium.⚽️ . #messi #messiinkolkata #kolkata #argentina #fifafriendly 🎥 : News Hour India (Youtube) pic.twitter.com/MTuMK9H9og — SportskiPEDIA (@PediaSportski) April 2, 2019

On 2nd September 2011, Messi travelled to India with the Argentine national team to play a FIFA international friendly against South American neighbours Venezuela. Kolkata has always been the best suited destination for a match of such magnitude as it is proudly called, ‘The Mecca of Indian Football’. The craze for football among the Bengalis and the people of Kolkata is unparalleled due to their rich history in providing Indian football, many of the best talents of the country and of course the rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

The city also has a big fanbase of Argentina and Brazil fans which has been passed onto generations and during the FIFA World Cups the city gets literally divided into two halves. So Lionel Messi gracing the city was a big occasion for the Bengalis. Diego Maradona also visited the city three years back in 2008 and now Messi coming to the former capital of India was a cherry on the cake. Over the years, Kolkata has been host to many big names in world football such as Pele, Lothar Matthaus, Diego Forlan, Zico and Paul Breitner.

People had to stand in big queues to get hold of the match ticket and there were many heart-broken fans who didn’t get the opportunity to witness the magician play live. On match day, the venue was filled with 75,000 spectators at the majestic Salt Lake Stadium, a stadium which was once the second largest of the lot in the world. A big occasion called for big names attending the match as Bollywood superstars, ministers also turned up to catch a glimpse of the great man.

The match went in favour of La Albiceleste as the 2-time World Champions won the match by 1-0. Nicholas Otamendi scored the winning goal from a corner, assisted by the great man himself. The PSG star had his fair share of chances during the match but couldn’t find the back of the net. But whenever he had the possession, the Kolkata crowd cheered for him in unison.

Lionel Messi’s birthday celebration in Kolkata, is almost like an annual state level festival. 📸 @gubchandrolai pic.twitter.com/iJi7gVeop5 — Sivan John (@SivanJohn_) June 26, 2021

The left-footed magician has left such an influence on the Bengalis, a die-heart Messi fan Shib Shankar Patra painted his tea stall cum house in Argentina- Blue and White colours. He named his teal stall, ‘Argentina Tea Stall’ and is located at Nawabganj township in West Bengal’s Ichhapur . The Patra family celebrates his birthday every year by painting their locality in Argentina colours, distributing sweets to the neighbours and cutting an Argentina themed cake in his honour.

The name Messi means the world to Bengalis in Kolkata and all over West Bengal as the football-crazy state’s fandom is a testament to his everlasting impression.

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Welcome to ESPN India Edition

When Messi, Federer, Bolt came to India

• Debayan Sen

Ahead of Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant's visit to India, where he will be meeting students of the NBA Academy, ESPN remembers some other sportspersons who visited India while in their prime. Most came for sport, and the rest for a bit of fun, but each of them left an impression on a sports-mad nation.

Argentina football team (January 1984)

The occasion

It was the third edition of the Nehru Cup, being played at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta. Argentina, who were one of five teams invited to join hosts India in a round-robin league followed by a knockout, sent a largely experimental team.

What happened?

Argentina won three of their five games, including a 1-0 win over India, which was as many as any of the other teams. A 1-0 defeat to China saw them lose out on an appearance in the final. Some of the prominent members of the Argentina team who went on to star in Mexico two years on were goalkeeper Nery Pumpido, defender Oscar Garre and midfielder Ricardo Giusti, not to forget coach Carlos Bilardo.

The response

Argentina's first goal of the 1984 Nehru Cup was scored by a 21-year-old attacking midfielder from Independiente called Jorge Burruchaga. He would go on to score an 84th-minute winner for Diego Maradona's Argentina in a pulsating World Cup final at the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City in 1986.

Diego Forlan (August 2010)

Diego Forlan, the winner of the Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup and whose five goals inspired Uruguay to go all the way to semi-finals, came to Kolkata a few days after the tournament in South Africa to launch a football-based reality show.

More than 40,000 fans gathered at the Salt Lake Stadium, as Forlan kicked off an exhibition game between Mohun Bagan and an International XI, which had been coached in the lead-up to the date by 1994 World Cup winner Branco of Brazil. While Forlan didn't play himself, he did take to the pitch and address the crowd, including a few words in Bangla.

Forlan would be back for more of India six years later, signing up as a marquee player for Indian Super League (ISL) side Mumbai City FC. He would take them to the playoffs for the first time in three years, scoring the first hat-trick of the season as well.

Pau Gasol (August 2010)

One of the first active NBA stars to visit India was Pau Gasol, the Spaniard who had clocked up the most rebounds and the maximum minutes per game in the NBA Finals in June that year, as his Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics to pick up their 11th title.

Gasol visited schools and colleges, conducting basketball clinics and media interactions across Mumbai and Delhi, before putting in a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Gasol was the second major star to have visited India after Dwight Howard - who was then with Orlando Magic - but Gasol was the first reigning champion to do so. He brought the Larry O'Brien Trophy and showcased it everywhere, and the interest in the NBA among Indians, as well as the number of visits by big names in the sport to the country, have been on an upswing ever since.

Lionel Messi (September 2011)

Lionel Messi had already picked up five La Liga crowns and three UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona, to go alongside two Ballon D'or wins, when he led Argentina out in their international friendly against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium.

The match itself was forgettable, as was reportedly the organisation, what with delayed arrival of the Venezuelan kits, the wrong anthem being announced at the start of the game, and a power cut during the post-match press conference.

However, Messi took the corner that gave Nicolas Otamendi his first international goal and Argentina a 1-0 victory in Alejandro Sabella's first match in charge. It was the same coach-captain combination that took them to the World Cup final three years later in Brazil.

The match, which was also Messi's first as captain, paved the way for a good working relationship with Sabella over the following three years. Sabella compared Messi's ability from set-pieces to David Beckham's, and four days later, he led Argentina to a comfortable 3-1 win over a full-strength Nigerian team in Dhaka. There were still no Messi goals, though Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria more than made up the numbers.

Usain Bolt (September 2014)

In 2014, Usain Bolt was already one of the most successful sprinters in the history of track and field, confirming his status as a great by successfully defending his 100m-200m sprint double at the London Olympics in 2012, and adding a 4X100m relay gold in a world record time with Jamaica to his kitty. He came to Bangalore in September 2014 to promote his sportswear brand, which he endorsed with Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh.

Bolt, who has often talked about his fondness for cricket, faced up to Yuvraj in an exhibition match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and clobbered a 19-ball 45 to win bragging rights in the four-overs-per-side cricket contest between the two stars.

The 100m sprint between the two sportsmen saw an inversion of the results, with Yuvraj jokingly pushing Bolt aside to avenge the cricket defeat. A bowl-out between the two resulted in a tie, but Bolt actually surpassed Yuvraj in the six-hitting contest, thus having the better day out in the Bangalore sun.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (December 2015)

Roger Federer had already featured in the Indian franchise of Mahesh Bhupathi's International Premier Tennis League (ITPL) in its inaugural season in 2014, even facing up to film actor Aamir Khan at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium that December.

A year on, Federer had moved on to the UAE franchise, and his place in the Indian team was taken by his biggest rival Rafael Nadal. When the two teams met in Delhi, the 15,000-capacity stadium had very few spaces left.

Nadal and Federer first met in the men's doubles, where Rohan Bopanna and Nadal prevailed over Federer and his partner Marin Cilic. The singles -- like most of the matches played in a single-set format in the event which exhorted fans to 'break the code' in its tagline -- was a tight affair, with Nadal winning 6-5 after battling Federer for 38 minutes.

The ITPL had its third season in 2016, though many of the top names of world tennis opted out, with organiser and former men's doubles World No.1 Bhupathi admitting that that the ticket sales had been "upsetting and embarrassing" to ESPN. The future of the league is unclear at this stage, but bringing together arguably two of the greatest players of all time was perhaps the high point of the 2015 season.

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

Messi in Kolkata

Feb 25 2018.

The “god of football”, as local papers called him, arrived on Indian soil for a friendly at Salt Lake Stadium. But where will the beautiful game go from there in India?

Though its national team slumps from humiliation to humiliation and its domestic clubs toil in obscurity, India has arrived at least in one sense on football’s international stage: The Asian giant has become an important market for the sport. Football has never been so popular in India as it is now. Its appeal has boomed outside its traditional coastal hotbeds of Kolkata and Goa, fanned by satellite TV and the growth of an aspirational, worldly middle class. A new generation of Indian fans is happy to consume football at a remove, staying up late at night to watch their adopted teams battle in distant stadiums they may never get a chance to visit.

With such easy televised access to glamorous European football, many fans treat the domestic league like a bumbling old friend from school—an object of affection, but not something to take seriously. It’s not an unreasonable attitude. Why brave dilapidated grounds to watch muddy dirges of football matches when the Champions League is available from your sofa?

There was a time when India’s domestic game kept international stars of its own. Indian leagues have long boasted a smattering of foreign players, mostly from the Middle East, Africa and, unsurprisingly, Brazil, which exports its surplus of talent to the remotest provinces of the game. Most of these players lead itinerant careers, drifting from club to club, country to country, rarely putting down roots in India. Some, however, do manage to form closer bonds with Indian football. I fondly remember a Kolkata talisman from an earlier period, the muscular Nigerian forward Chima Okorie. An architecture student turned bulldozing striker, he made a name for himself in the 1980s and 1990s, winning titles with a number of clubs across the country. Okorie rose to prominence at a time when the lights of the outside football world did not burn so brightly in India, when the local game was not so obscured by their glare.

That glare was probably at its most blinding two years ago, when India hosted its first official FIFA-recognised international friendly. Argentina played Venezuela in Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, with Lionel Messi leading the line.

I was among the crowd when the “God of Football” (as most Indian papers piously anointed Messi) came to earth in Kolkata. His side cobbled together a 1-0 win, but the result was incidental to the event and its star. In the build-up to the match, national media tracked Messi’s footsteps, naps and sandwiches as if we needed proof he was real. A city pinched itself. With kick-off fast approaching and the anarchic line outside Salt Lake Stadium looping on itself, men pushed ahead. “Hurry, hurry,” they laughed in Bengali, “Messi will hit the floor once and decide to go home.” (Much to everyone’s surprise, he played the full ninety minutes). Hawkers harried those of us who shuffled along with our dumb faith in the utility of queues. A man in a floral shirt with henna-dyed hair tried to sell Argentina “hats”—paper cones painted with stripes of blue. “Maradona wore this hat,” he joked, “Batistuta wore this hat, Burruchaga wore this hat.” And Messi? He was startled. “Messi? Why would Messi wear a hat?”

In Kolkata, in an unfamiliar climate and unfamiliar city, Messi simply played.

The little Argentinian forward tends to respond to spectacle and hype with rather predictable professionalism. On Salt Lake Stadium’s quick artificial surface, in an unfamiliar climate and unfamiliar city, he simply played. That in itself was its own joy for the 75,000 or so who came to see him.

Kolkata is no stranger to football’s showmen. In his dotage, Pelé (along with Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto et al) landed in the city with the New York Cosmos in 1977, plodding through a friendly against local club Mohun Bagan. Not to be outdone, Diego Maradona visited a few years ago. A tour that included a meeting with an iconic Communist politician eventually brought him to Salt Lake Stadium, where he did kick-ups for the masses, blew kisses, pumped his fists in the air. He was in his element, every bit the happy demagogue. Uruguayan forward Diego Forlan cut quite a different figure in 2010. Fresh from his World Cup successes, he appeared on a reality TV show before presiding over a friendly at Salt Lake Stadium, sitting glumly on the sidelines in a polo shirt and trousers. Other big names have visited and played in Kolkata, from the “Black Spider” Lev Yashin to Oliver Kahn, whose last appearance for Bayern Munich was in a friendly in Salt Lake Stadium against Mohun Bagan.

Messi arrived in Kolkata not as a bystander, a tin-pot celebrity, or a veteran rubbing his knees and pinching his pennies. Still in the long summer of his prime, he came in earnest. He was watched in earnest, too. The crowd thrilled every time Messi received the ball, chipped and flicked to his colleagues or floated through Venezuela’s midfield. He has this marvelous way of carrying the ball that’s all the more evident when seeing him in person, at once energetic and graceful, bustling and gliding. But as Argentina struggled to break through, fans threw up their hands at missed connections or teammates’ turnovers. Venezuela launched counter-attacks down the right, disheveling Argentina’s left-back. The crowd sportingly applauded such forays, but yearned for an Argentina goal.

Salt Lake Stadium was smothered in white and blue, colors adopted not out of fickle interest in the occasion but rather from old allegiance. Unlike many other parts of the country, Kolkata has long been home to passionate football supporters from all class backgrounds, plugged into the global game. The city is fairly evenly divided between those who support Argentina and those who support Brazil. During major international tournaments, the flags of both countries can be seen flying across the city. Fireworks and street celebrations greet their victories, lamentation and public gloom their defeats.

Messi, of course, made the game’s only goal, finding the head of defender Nicolas Otamendi from a corner. It was enough. The crowd chanted his name and the papers the next day crooned that the world’s best footballer had shown his greatness in India. One report suggested he may have found his grandest stage. “Camp Nou, La Bombonera, or Salt Lake Stadium? It’s for Messi to decide.” “Messi Magic Mesmerises” honked the Times of India. In truth, there were only glimpses of the sublime in his performance. There was application, and that was sufficient to flatter an audience that was won over from the start.

If FIFA and the match’s organizers have their way, such “magic” and visits “gods of football” will become increasingly mundane in India. Glittering international and club sides will visit more frequently, just as they now grace the United Arab Emirates’ castles in the sand and the chrome and steel stadiums of east Asia. As one FIFA official huffed recently, “India’s full potential in football is, given the size of the country, enormous.” The intention here is less to breed a new generation of Indian footballers, and more to produce consumers of football, to build the popularity and appeal of the international game amongst the country’s growing middle class. Kolkata may be a traditionally football-loving city, but the middle class across cricket-crazy India is warming to the charms of the top European leagues. In this sense, Messi came to India as the leanest, fittest, ambassador of the sport ever seen in the country. Many Indians from all over the country watched as he trudged off the Salt Lake Stadium turf. Glued to their satellite TVs at all sorts of odd hours, even more will continue to follow him and his peers at the highest, most gleaming levels of the game.

And what of Salt Lake Stadium? It is the second-largest football stadium in the world, capable of holding 120,000 spectators, but it seemed dim and unloved without its quickly departed god. For all the talk of new investment and restructuring, domestic football is struggling for attention. It is a familiar story across many “emerging” countries. The middle class have largely abandoned the local game since Barcelona, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and so forth can be found in their living rooms. The little Argentinian did not simply bring his own genius with him to India; he came and left as a reminder of the wider greatness beyond.

Recently, the entertainment and marketing company IMG Reliance announced plans to launch a franchise-based, ten-week tournament that would bring big name players to India. The IMG Reliance league seeks to emulate the success of cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL), which draws the best cricketing talent in the world to the country for a high-octane month of sport and commercial glitz. Unlike the IPL, however, this football league would be a motley and mediocre affair, roping in a handful of over-the-hill, semi-retired stars to play alongside local footballers. Established domestic clubs fear they will only be undermined by this distraction from their own competition. It’s not clear who would benefit at all from the tournament, especially with the foreign stars parachuted in to India for little over two months.

Not long ago, Kolkatans kept their global stars closer to home. Watching Messi scamper about the artificial pitch of Salt Like Stadium, I found myself thinking of my first visit to the hulking arena in the late 1990s, a time when India’s pretensions of grandeur were far more circumspect and the summer rains still made puddles out of the center circle. Despite the mud, there was something utterly glorious about the place. A full house of 120,000 people (far more than the number that came to watch Leo Messi) crammed its three tiers of terraces. Most of them had come down the jangling airport road that binds Kolkata to its eastern outskirts, packed in buses and the backs of trucks, clinging to the rumps of motorcycles, all the while flying their colors—the vegetal green and aubergine of Mohun Bagan, and the yellow and red of archrivals East Bengal. The colors streamed across the stadium in the thickening din. Men sat squeezed together on the terrace steps, hugging their knees, chatting and laughing, passing around cigarettes and bidis, occasionally catapulting great bursts of betel leaf juice against the pillars, their bases stained red by years of spitting.

I stood with the supporters in green and maroon, those of Mohun Bagan, the traditional team of Kolkata and of my family, followed by my grandfather since the 1930s. For decades, their clashes with East Bengal (founded by men from the eponymous region, now known as the country of Bangladesh) have been the biggest fixtures on Kolkata’s and India’s footballing calendar. Rather than in the team’s rickety ground inside the city, these matches are played in the giant Salt Lake Stadium, a colossal venue appropriate for the occasion. By any measure, the Kolkata derby is a big deal. It has been the subject of numerous books, films and plays. It divides families, friends and neighbourhoods. And it even helps determine the local prices of seafood, with each team’s fans spending prodigiously on rival species of fish should they win. Here, footballing faultlines run deep as the sea.

As the teams came out, the roar of the crowd rolled back and forth across the stadium. I have no idea what the other half chanted, but the Mohun Bagan end was swallowed in the repetition of a single name, over and over again, rising in pitch and fervor as a tall dark man waved in our direction. “Chima, Chima, Chima, Cheeeeeeeema,” we yelled.

Chima Okorie was one of Kolkata’s original international football icons. Like many of India’s conquerors, his path to greatness was accidental. He arrived from Nigeria in 1984 not as an athlete but as an architecture student. Success with his university team somehow magicked him into the chaotic realm of Indian professional football. A burly striker with a powerful shot, Okorie spent most of the next ten years with Kolkata’s three biggest teams. His last move within the city saw him swap East Bengal for Mohun Bagan (the first transfer in the Indian game to surpass Rs. 500,000), where for many years he continued to top the scoring charts and pile up the trophies. Those were his glory days.

Greatness in Kolkata convinced Okorie that Europe beckoned, a silly idea in retrospect. Failed trials at Leeds and Notts County were followed by desultory spells with Peterborough, Grimsby and Torquay, and two bumbling seasons in Scandinavian football. In the end, Okorie packed his bags and returned to where he was loved. He rejoined Mohun Bagan in 1997, very much in the dusk of his career.

That day was the first and last time I saw Okorie play (he would eventually be suspended in 1999 for two years for assaulting a referee, a ban that effectively ushered him into retirement). But even then, when visibly labored and clumsy in his passing, his every touch drew cheers from the crowd. A blistering free kick, invariably over the bar, still won applause. The fans weren’t stupid; they cheered for their memory of him as much as for the creaking man before them. Thousands of better footballers scratch about the low and high leagues of the world, never knowing a fraction of this adoration, nor hearing their names intoned by so many in the fleeting, magical chorus of real faith.

Okorie still lives in India. After venturing into coaching, he started a somewhat incoherent website (now defunct) called “Sexy Football,” where he blogged, among other things, about whether “it is still cool to be an Arsenal fan.”

[Header image by: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images]

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World Cup winners Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria likely to visit Kolkata in 2024

Argentinian football legends Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria are set to visit Kolkata, India in 2024, pending resolution of final logistical hurdles and scheduling conflicts. The anticipation has been building for football enthusiasts nationwide, eager to witness the magic of Messi on an Indian football pitch. Meanwhile, some reports also suggest that Kerala have invited the Argentina team to play a friendly in July.

Sports promoter Satadru Dutta, instrumental in bringing Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to Kolkata in July, speaking to Times Now, disclosed that Messi and Di Maria will arrive separately on different trips. Both visits are scheduled after the general elections in 2024, with Di Maria inaugurating a performance centre in Rishra. Dutta emphasized the need to consider the dates of the Bangladeshi general election since he plans to give them a tour of Bangladesh.

Lionel Messi in action against Venezuela during a 2011 friendly in Kolkata. His corner also resulted in the only goal – a header from Nicolas Otamendi. 85,000 fans attended this match & Argentina featured several players who went on to win World Cup in 2022 #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/GGzj2iB0Gs googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-9031318-1');}); — IndianFootball_History (@IndianfootballH) July 7, 2023

When will Lionel Messi come to Kolkat a?

While Dutta remains optimistic about Messi’s visit, he highlighted challenges such as coordinating with organizers in India, ensuring security arrangements, and meeting Messi’s personal requirements. Messi’s visit may extend to the beginning of 2025 if delays occur, with the MLS winter break identified as a favorable window.

If Messi and Di Maria make the trip, it won’t be the first time that Argentine football legends have enthralled fans in Kolkata. Both Diego Maradona and Messi visited the City of Joy in 2011, and Messi, in a 2014 interview, acknowledged that his previous visit to India had left a lasting impression on him. Despite the challenges, the allure of a Messi and Di Maria tour remains highly tempting for fans of La Albiceleste.

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Messi dominates discourse as Martinez visits Kolkata and plays ball

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Lionel Messi was not there, Emiliano Martinez was. But still, Messi dominated the discourse on a Tuesday afternoon that was reserved for Martinez, who was glad to play ball.

As one of Messi's most trusted lieutenants during Argentina's triumphant campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Martinez didn't mind the interest, the curiosity around his iconic teammate's future in the sport, and decided to go with the flow on the second day of his visit to the football-mad city.

Earlier, scenes of unbridled joy swept through the roads leading up to the Mohun Bagan tent, where the star goalkeeper was engaged in a slew of activities, including inaugurating the Pele-Maradona-Sobers gate and declaring open the Kolkata Police Friendship Cup in front of packed stands.

'Dibu', as he is fondly called, was overwhelmed by the welcome he received from thousands of fans sporting the Albiceleste colours and Messi's No. 10 jersey.

"To see so many people cheering for you, and Argentina is a joy," he said.

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With cheers of 'Messi, Messi' reverberating across the stands, the 30-year-old Martinez made a promise to bring Messi to Kolkata again, and to play football in Argentina colours.

"This is not the end, I hope to come back to India to play with Argentina and Messi," he said, generating the loudest cheers.

"Now when I come to places like this, I realise the importance of winning the World Cup. Making people happy.

"I said I would come to Kolkata to see the culture, the beautiful Kolkata city. I'm really proud to be here today," he said.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Glove winner thanked Messi for making him a "better goalkeeper".

Asked if he has ever stopped a Messi penalty, he said: "Yes, I've, in practice matches."

"We used to practice a lot before the World Cup. We had to be ready for the penalty shootout. So there is no better way to prepare for it than stopping Messi.

"That's how I became a better goalkeeper. By denying a Messi penalty I knew I could stop anyone."

"It's a mental game... I practice a lot. And before the World Cup final too, we practiced a lot of penalty shootouts, knowing that something like this may come into play."

The Aston Villa goalkeeper said he aspires to win more titles with Argentina.

"From a very young age, I had a dream to become Argentina's number one goalkeeper. I'm not going to relax now, I want to become better and win many, many tournaments for Argentina."

When the discussion turned to Indian football, Martinez said the key is to hire European coaches and develop the youngsters.

"The first thing you need to do is to bring European coaches, bring the best coaches who can teach the kids and bring European style of football -- how to move on the pitch.

"I'm also bringing European techniques to Argentina goalkeepers to make sure they become better from a very young age.

"By doing that from a young age, hopefully, India would play the World Cup."

Messi is the greatest

Earlier in the day, he was felicitated by Mohun Bagan and East Bengal clubs on the sidelines of a chat show 'Tahader Katha' at the Milan Mela ground, where he declared "Messi is the greatest".

"Messi is the best ever player and there will be no Messi in the future. It's hard to match him. He's the greatest player.

"We had to win the World Cup for him and we did it."

Messi had made it clear that the World Cup in Qatar was his last and he had no plans to don the Argentina jersey in 2026.

"No worries," said Martinez, adding that they are a team of "tigers" and they would rise to the challenge again.

"I take on challenges with all my heart and passion. We have got a group of tigers in the team and we are ready to fight," he said.

Sea of white and blue

The Maidan was a sea of white and blue with Argentina fans sporting the jersey and heading to the Mohun Bagan ground.

The posters of Martinez kissing his Golden Glove and the glittering FIFA World Cup Trophy dotted the Gostha Pal Sarani leading up to Mohun Bagan tent.

Such was the craze outside the Mohun Bagan gate that not an inch of space was left vacant.

Fans were seen standing on the edges of an open drain, or precariously standing on the cliffs of the stadium gallery, to catch a glimpse of Martinez.

The Argentine icon arrived an hour late and first inaugurated the Pele-Maradona-Sobers gate by cutting the customary ribbon.

He headed straight to the Mohun Bagan tent office where the club officials took him on a tour of the facility. It was followed by a customary photo-op with the club members outside the club lawn.

The club also handpicked a few school children who had their "dreams fulfilled".

"It was a dream come true for us. We are a big fan of his goalkeeping and took selfies and autographs," said Prachet Singh Chauhan, who was accompanied by Akshat Gupta, Aravan Bajpayee and Karan Chawla.

Later, he headed to the ground and waved the Indian flag in a novel gesture. He then boarded an open vehicle, took a round of the ground, and kicked footballs to the fans in the galleries.

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Lionel Messi arrives in Kolkata for friendly match against Venezuela

Over 2000 fans reached airport to get a glimpse of the argentine football icon. video.

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Messi was accompanied by his Barcelona FC teammate Javier Mascherano. The duo reached the eastern Indian metropolis after playing the club's La Liga game with Villareal on Monday. Messi scored twice in the second half as Barca cantered to a 5-0 victory.

The soccer lovers, who had defied a drizzle to assemble in large numbers to welcome their hero in the wee hours, failed to have a glimpse of the Argentine genius, who was driven straight to the team hotel near the stadium.

Earlier the crowd of mostly die hard fans of the 24-year-old football icon made it a carnival atmosphere in the airport's vicinity.

Many sported the sky blue and white jerseys of the Argentine team, and carried flags of the Latin American side. Wild cheers of "Messi, Messi" were heard constantly.

"We will stay here the whole night. For the next few days we will only relish every minute of the historic occasion," said Manas Dutta of the Nabin Sangha Fans Club, wearing Messi's number 10 jersey.

Some of the soccer fans also had their faces painted in the colours of the Argentine or the Barcelona jerseys with Messi written on their bare chests.

Some of the Messi fans seemed emotional, with tears of joy rolling down their cheeks at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see their hero from close range.

"I can do anything to have a glimpse of Messi today. I will see him today," said a young man, who wore a Barcelona jersey with Messi's picture.

A group of youngsters were seen going round and round holding a big Argentine flag atop their head. "Messi, welcome to India" said banners. A few tri-colours were also seen.

A middle aged father came with his young daughter and son, the latter an ardent Messi fan. "We are a middle class family. But to catch a glimpse of Messi we are even prepared to have lunch and dinner at the hotel where Messi would be staying. We are prepared to bear all costs," said the teenage son.

However, the turnout of the soccer buffs to greet Messi fell far short of the 50,000 odd crowd which had gathered in 2008 to welcome football legend Diego Maradona who had come on a two-day trip to the city to attend a host of programmes. Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 31, 2011 --- ENDS ---

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Sachin Tendulkar to Sunil Chhetri, India toasts Lionel Messi after Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2022 win

Indian sports personalities, including Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and Mirabai Chanu, hailed Argentina’s memorable win in the final at Qatar.

(2022 Getty Images)

Lionel Messi ’s dream of winning the FIFA World Cup with Argentina finally came true at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over France in the final.

It was Argentina’s third World Cup triumph overall and the first since Diego Maradona led them to the title 36 years ago, in 1986. 

Even though Lionel Messi scored twice in the final, Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick almost took the FIFA World Cup 2022 title away from La Albiceleste .

The French Golden Boot winner scored twice in the second half to level the game for France and then led the comeback for the defending champions in the extra time to force the game into a penalty shootout. Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina held their nerve in the shootout to win the final 4-2 on penalties. 

As expected, Argentina’s win and watching Lionel Messi getting his hands on the elusive trophy drew passionate reactions from all over the world, including Indian fans and top athletes.

Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri got the ball rolling and hailed the FIFA World Cup 2022 final the best match he has ever seen.

“This is the best game of football I've ever watched. Every emotion displayed and felt for 120 minutes and then through every take from the spot. What a show. What a sport. Lionel Messi,” Sunil Chhetri tweeted.

In a similar vein, legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar lauded Argentina’s fighting spirit in the tournament. Lionel Messi and Co. suffered an upset 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening game but fought back to be crowned world champions.

Interestingly, Sachin Tendulkar’s own career had some stark similarities to Messi’s. Both, considered one of the greatest in their respective sport, only managed to win the World Cup in the twilight of their careers. Furthermore, both became world champions exactly eight years after suffering a heartbreak in a World Cup final.

Sachin Tendulkar lost the final of the 2003 cricket World Cup before finally lifting the trophy in 2011. Messi lost the 2014 final with Argentina before reaching the promised land in 2022.

With the 2022 World Cup win, Lionel Messi now has won every major international trophy with Argentina, including a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, the Copa America title in 2021 and the Finalissima in 2022.

Speaking to journalists after winning the World Cup, Messi said he “craved” this moment for so long.

“I knew God would bring this gift to me, I had the feeling that this World Cup was the one. It took so long, but here it is,” Lionel Messi said. 

“We suffered a lot, but we managed to do it. Can’t wait to be in Argentina to witness the insanity of this,” he added.”

Olympic medallists Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Vijender Singh also chipped in with some heartwarming messages.

Mirabai Chanu and Rani Rampal also congratulated Kylian Mbappe and France for putting up a splendid show.

For some, Messi’s win marked the end of the debate on football’s greatest player of all time.

Many feared that Messi would never wear the famous sky blue and white shirt again after the 2022 World Cup. The maestro, however, put the speculations to rest after the magical night at Lusail.

"No, I'm not going to retire from the Argentina national team. I want to continue playing as a champion," Lionel Messi, who has featured in five World Cups for Argentina, told TyC Sports.

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Lionel Messi To Come India? 2022 World Cup Winner 'Promises' Argentine Legend Will Play In Kolkata Again

Updated Jul 5, 2023, 12:45 IST

World Cup Winner, Emi Martinez pictured with the executive committee members of Mohun Bagan at a meet and greet at the 'Tahader Kotha' event at the Milan Mela

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Is Lionel Messi coming to Kolkata?

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Argentina's World Cup-winning hero who made the headlines for his breathtaking goalkeeping throughout the FIFA World Cup 2022 Emiliano Martinez is all set to visit India. The goalkeeper is expected to arrive on a promotional visit in Kolkata in late June or early July.

Satradu Dutta, who played a key role in bringing the football legends both Pele and Maradona to Kolkata has once again convinced yet another footballing superstar to visit India. Pele arrived in the 1970s whereas Maradona came in 2008 and both chose Kolkata as their destination in the subcontinent.

There will be no international matches in June hence Martinez will visit India and Kolkata during that time. The Golden Gloves Award winner is expected to spend two days in Kolkata as the tentative dates are believed to be June 20-21 or July 1-3. "Tentative dates for the visit are June 20-21 or July 1-3. Everything has been signed and the final dates will be announced soon. We did a small photo shoot, said Satradu Dutta.

Martinez will also meet West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and former India captain Sourav Ganguly followed by a visit to Mohun Bagan Club and be the chief guest for a charity match.

He then will be participating in a Maradona memorial event and spending time with some underprivileged children. The Argentine footballer will also attend a few sponsor events during his two-day visit to the city.

Martinez was one of the many players to have played a vital role in Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar last year. He put up world-class performances throughout the tournament, especially in the quarterfinal against the Netherlands where he saved two crucial penalties in the penalty shoot-out.

He then went on to repeat the same in the final against France where he denied Kingsley Koman and Aurelien Tchouameni and took his team over the line. He became a central figure of the controversy due to his post-trophy celebration and mocking of France's Kylian Mbappe which was seen as "unsportsmanlike behavior" by many.

The 30-year-old plays for Aston Villa football club in the English Premier League and was named as the best goalkeeper of the both World Cup and Copa America which he won with Argentina under Lionel Messi's leadership.

Emiliano Martínez will be the first footballer to visit Kolkata right after winning the World Cup as Argentina's crazy fan base in the city of joy awaits his historical visit.

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Watch: Lionel Messi's World Cup Winning-Teammate Emiliano Martinez Arrives In India Amid Fanfare

Fifa world cup 2022 winner emiliano martinez landed in kolkata on monday as the city continued its tryst with the stars of the spectator sport.

Emiliano Martinez, the significant other of Argentina's third FIFA World Cup triumph, landed in Kolkata on Monday as the football-mad city continued its tryst with the stars of the spectator sport. The city that has hosted the likes of Pele, Maradona, Messi and Cafu will for the first time play host to a reigning World Cup winner whose heroics in the penalty shootout against France last December earned Argentina its first world title in 36 years.

VIDEO | Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martnez arrives at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata. "I am really excited, feeling great. It was a dream (coming to India). I had promised to come to India, I am happy to be here," says... pic.twitter.com/ivmqHCNrsX — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 3, 2023

Amid tight security arrangements, the Golden Glove winner of the 2022 World Cup checked into his five-star hotel on EM Bypass. A host of events are lined up for Martinez over the next two days.

He was accorded a warm reception by Mohun Bagan officials at the airport where hundreds of Argentina fans waved the Albiceleste colours.

"I'm feeling great. It's a lovely country. I'm delighted to be here. I'm really excited. I promised I'm gonna come to India so I'm here. It's a place I always wanted to come," Martinez said at the start of his two-day visit.

The 30-year-old Martinez will spend the morning in his hotel.

His engagements in the city will begin with a programme titled 'Tahader Katha' in the afternoon where he would interact with about 500 school kids at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan.

Then, he will head to Mohun Bagan ground where he is slated to felicitate 10 Bengal goalkeepers, including Bhaskar Ganguly and Hemanta Dora.

An exhibition match will be held between Mohun Bagan All Stars and Kolkata Police All Stars in the evening.

On Wednesday, the concluding day of his trip, Martinez will head to Sreebhumi Club in Lake Town where he will be part of the 'Paanch e Paanch' programme.

He will award the winners of the programme besides engaging in a football clinic for the youngsters at Santosh Mitra Square.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper flew into the City of Joy from Dhaka where he met the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Terming it an "extraordinary" trip, Martinez wrote on his Instagram: "The people here, with their love, care, and unrivaled hospitality, have truly melted my heart. I eagerly anticipate my return to this beautiful country in the near future." Martinez presented Hasina with an autographed Albiceleste jersey and he was also seen getting photographed and accepting a bajpakhi (hawk).

"I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister's Office, the police, the airport authority, and countless others whose names I might not know but whose efforts were no less significant. You have all played a part in crafting this special bond that I now share with Bangladesh.

"So, until my next visit, I bid you farewell, leaving a piece of my heart here. I am forever charmed by Bangladesh baazpakhi," Martinez said.

Martinez's visit adds to the city's date with football legends.

Famous World Cupper of then USSR, Lev Yashin visited the city twice -- once with the Soviet team who toured India in 1955 and as a chief guest during the IFA Shield final in 1973.

then, figured on the world football map when Brazilian great Pele along with fellow World Cupper Carlos Alberto visited with New York Cosmos for an exhibition tie against Mohun Bagan in 1977, which generated huge interest among the city crowd.

German and Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn bid farewell to competitive football by playing an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan in the summer of 2008.

Gerd Muller, Karl Heinze Rumminiege and Diego Forlan had also graced the city.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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India’s Sunil Chhetri passes Lionel Messi in international goals

Indian football star surpasses Argentina’s Messi after scoring both goals in his country’s 2-0 win over Bangladesh in Doha.

Indian football star Sunil Chhetri has surpassed Lionel Messi in international goals, after scoring both goals in his country’s 2-0 win over Bangladesh in Qatar’s capital Doha.

Chhetri moved past Argentinian Messi’s 72 goals when he opened the scoring in the 79th minute on Monday, in a qualifying match for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

The 36-year-old striker added a second in injury time, taking his total to 74 goals for India, who are already out of the race to qualify for the World Cup but can make it to the Asian Cup in China.

Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo tops the international list among active players, with 103 goals.

With 73 strikes, Ali Mabkhout of the United Arab Emirates is also above Messi – a six-time Ballon d’Or winner widely regarded as the greatest player of the modern era.

🤩 He’s now got more than Messi! Sunil Chhetri’s double earns the Blue Tigers a 2-0 win in #WCQ and moves him on to 74 international goals – above Lionel Messi and one off entering world football’s all-time top 10 🧗‍♂️ @chetrisunil11 | @IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/sCCd6BgS9H — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 7, 2021

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel lauded the captain for leading from the front.

“Our @IndianFootball skipper Sunil Chhetri adds another feather to his illustrious cap as he overtook Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goalscorer with 74 goals,” Patel wrote on Twitter.

“A big congratulations to Captain Fantastic & wishing him many more accolades in the future.”

India will next face Afghanistan in the qualifiers on June 15.

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David Beckham's visit to India: Man United legend says Lionel Messi at Inter Miami is 'our gift to America'

David beckham's inter miami franchise signed lionel messi as "our gift to america and the mls"..

David Beckham told AFP in an interview on Wednesday that his Inter Miami franchise signed Lionel Messi as "our gift to America and the MLS".

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder Beckham, speaking on his first ever visit to India and in his role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, admitted he still has to pinch himself when he sees the Argentinian World Cup winner on the teamsheet in Florida.

"It's still hard to believe that when someone turns around to me and says Inter Miami have Lionel Messi in their team, you know," he said.

"It's a very proud thing for me to have as an owner, to have a player like that, the best player in the world, in our team.

"We always knew that bringing Leo to America, not just to Miami, it was our gift to America and the MLS.

"Because someone like that changes the game. You know, someone like that inspires another generation of soccer players.

"And that's why we wanted to bring Leo to the team. Of course, we want to win championships. Of course, we want to be the best team in the league.

"But one of the reasons why we bought him was to also inspire the next generation of soccer players in America.

"To want to be soccer players. So bringing him does that and it's an important thing for us."

Former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star Messi shocked the football world when he shunned stratospheric offers from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere to join Inter Miami in July, seven months after he had led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.

The 36-year-old went on to light up Major League Soccer with some stellar performances but was unable to carry Inter Miami into the playoffs this season.

- 'Faces light up' -

Beckham, 48, who has turned a successful playing career that included captaining England and winning the Champions League with Manchester United into a high-profile role as a rights advocate and style icon, is the co-owner of Inter Miami.

He was speaking to AFP in Mumbai before attending the start of the Cricket World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand, in an interview for which questions had to be vetted in advance.

Beckham explained that his first contact with the UN children's charity began when he was a teenager.

"My first involvement with UNICEF was when I was 17 years old in Thailand when I was there with Manchester United, and I went to a women's care centre," he said.

"But obviously with my travels over the years, I've seen how young girls are getting left behind, they're not getting the same rights and the same equal opportunities as the boys.

"So our focus has really been on girls in the last five to 10 years and that is the same here."

Beckham said he was convinced sport could play a key role in children's lives, as it had in his own.

"It gave me the foundation to have leadership, teamwork, discipline, focus. And just to have that confidence," said the father of four children.

"I've seen when I've gone into different villages around the world with UNICEF, when I take a football into this village, these children's faces light up.

“For that time when I'm playing football with them or they're kicking a football around, they forget about everything else that is going on around them that is not good.”

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