Swami Vivekananda at Lionel Messi's Feet? 70 Ft-Statue Positioning Stirs Unnecessary Online Controversy During GOAT India Tour 2025

Lionel Messi GOAT India Tour 2025: Even before the Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi spends 24 hours in India, he finds himself in the middle of a controversy. Messi unveiled a magnum opus 70-feet statue of the Argentinian football icon. Now, the positioning of the statue has sparked a row. The structure is placed in such a way where a smaller statue of Swami Vivekananda is at Messi's feet. That has now sparked a controversy as fans reckon that could have been avoided. 

Swami Vivekananda is widely regarded as one of the greatest modern Indian thinkers and hence fans are not liking the treatment given to him. Surely, this controversy could have been avoided by placing the statue elsewhere. Some fans have also reacted to this, calling it an insult to the great scholar. Here are some of the reactions doing the rounds on social space. 

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'Swami Vivekananda at Lionel Messi's Feet?'

For the unversed, the statue was erected at the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club in Lake Town, Kolkata. 

Messi's India Itenary

The Argentinian soccer legend would be in India for three days where he will travel to Hyderabad after his brief stay in Kolkata on Saturday. On Sunday, Messi would head off to Mumbai and then his final stop at Delhi where he is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

9:30 AM-10:30 AM: Meet-and-greet
10:30 AM-11:15 AM: Virtual inauguration of the Messi statue
11:15 AM-11:25 AM: Arrival at the Salt Lake Stadium
12:00 PM: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Sourav Ganguly arrive at the Salt Lake Stadium
12:00 PM-12:30 PM: Friendly match, felicitation, and interaction
2:00 PM: Departure for Hyderabad