How Lionel Messi Was Convinced To Visit India? Rabindranath Tagore's Link With Argentina Sealed The Deal, Says Organiser

World Cup winner Lionel Messi is scheduled to land in India on December 13, 2025, for the Messi G.O.A.T Tour India. The player first visited India in 2011 when Argentina played a friendly match against Venezuela in Kolkata. Lionel Messi will be flying to Kolkata for his first stop on the tour, followed by Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi.

However, convincing Messi for the tour was not an easy task. Kolkata-based promoter Satadru Dutta, the man who made it possible, in an exclusive interview with Times Now, shared how Rabindranath Tagore's connection with Messi's homeland played a part in convincing him to agree to the visit.

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Rabindranath Tagore's Impact Played A Part In Convincing Messi

The first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, spent some time in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, helping to shape the bond between Bengal and Argentina. Satadru Dutta shared that this story of Tagore helped him to get the final seal of approval from the World Cup winner.

He shared, "I told him about Tagore's visit to Argentina. I explained that Argentina was the only South American country where Tagore had visited and that he was the first non-European Nobel Laureate (1913) for his work Gitanjali. When I told him that Tagore was the soul of Bengal, he thanked me for informing him about him."

For the unversed, in 1924, Rabindranath Tagore had to make an emergency stop after falling ill from influenza. It is then that the Nobel Prize winner checked into Hotel Plaza in Buenos Aires. He then lived at Villa Ocampo in the San Isidro suburb for two months.

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Satadru Dutta On How Emi Martinez's Kolkata Visit Helped To Convince Messi

The organiser shared that positive reviews from Messi's Argentine teammate also helped the former build a strong case.

He shared, "The challenge was convincing Messi to travel so far from where he lives and plays. And convincing someone who does not need money is extremely difficult. The whole world is his fan, so simply telling him 'you have fans in India' is not enough."

Dutta further added, "My pedigree helped. I had brought many legends before, and his very dear friend Martinez's visit helped. Then Ronaldinho, who is like a mentor to Messi, also arrived earlier. His review also helped. Then there was the monument, the statue we made for him during the 2023 Durga Puja. That created a personal connection. They loved it… I thank God and thank Messi for agreeing… It is a dream I have been chasing for two and a half years."

The World Cup winners' visit to India will conclude on December 15 in Delhi, where the player is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence.