GOAT Tours
Lionel Messi has never turned down a big cheque. His trip to India, organized by an event and sports marketing company, is just the latest example.
The world’s greatest footballer, Lionel Messi, first came to India in 2011, when Argentina played Venezuela in a friendly match in Kolkata—often called India’s cultural capital and sometimes referred to as “the mecca of Indian football.” Local business groups organized the game, hoping to spark more enthusiasm for football. Cricket may dominate the sporting landscape, but that night, 85,000 people packed the stadium to watch Messi captain the team for the first time and to see Nicolás Otamendi score the only goal. Advertisers and European TV networks seized the opportunity, pushing cable subscriptions, and fans eagerly bought Argentina jerseys with Messi’s number 10. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) also announced plans to invest more in football infrastructure and support grassroots programs, though some local fans say that follow-through has been limited.
Now, fourteen years later, Messi is planning a return—this time on his own—in the third week of December. And it’s not only about football anymore. The visit is headlined as “The GOAT India Tour 2025.” On his IG, he listed some of his activities: “concerts, youth football clinics, a padel cup, and launching charitable initiatives during iconic stadiums in Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and maybe one more city.” He later posted that Hyderabad was added to the tour. Messi will also “interact and meet with India’s biggest stars and top dignitaries.”
On the last one, we know that one of his official tasks is to raise awareness of Telangana, India’s fourth-largest state, which is rolling out its “Telangana Rising 2047” plan. The state wants to grow its economy to US$1 trillion by 2034 and to US$3 trillion by 2047, which will mark 100 years of India’s independence.
Messi also plans to visit the Indian cities of Mumbai in Maharashtra State, the country’s capital, Delhi, and Kolkata in West Bengal. Of the cities on this list, only Kolkata and Mumbai are known as major hubs for Indian football; that is, they have strong football cultures, amateur clubs, and stadiums, and fans whose support of clubs in the Indian Super League (ISL) rivals their devotion to Europe’s top clubs and the world’s best national teams like Argentina. (We will have a follow-up post about football in India next week.)
Indian fans’ affinity for Argentina dates back to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the first time many in India could watch the tournament on television, and when Argentina, led by Maradona, lifted the trophy. More recently, Argentina was supposed to play Australia in a friendly in Kochi, Kerala, during the November international window, but that match has been pushed to the March break, with no confirmed date yet.
In his Instagram post, Messi also thanked the Satadru Dutta Initiative for “making [his] visit possible.” A quick search shows that it’s an event management and sports promotion company run by Satadru Dutta, a businessman from West Bengal. Dutta has a history of bringing prominent football figures to India—mostly from South America—including Diego Maradona, Emi Martinez (Messi’s teammate on Argentina’s national team), and Brazilian stars like the late Pelé, Cafu, and Ronaldinho. As for how much Messi is being paid for this visit, that information hasn’t been made public. It’s also unclear what financial role, if any, the Telangana government is playing or whether the visit involves a personal connection with Dutta. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has already posted (perhaps lightheartedly) on X and Instagram about preparations for a match featuring Messi.
The Indian media channel, NDTV, reports that the fan packages include “The GOAT Fan Experience,” a “Father, Son, Experience” (there is no “Father, Daughter Experience,” though India has a thriving women’s football pro league), a “Family Experience,” and a “Corporate Felicitation Package.”
This kind of trip isn’t exactly out of character for Messi—he’s no stranger to taking trips that come with a hefty paycheck. Back in 2015, for example, the ousted Gabonese president Ali Bongo reportedly paid $2.4 million for Messi to visit Gabon. That visit, however, had a specific purpose: Messi was there to lay the first brick at the Port-Gentil stadium ahead of the 2017 African Cup of Nations.
In May 2023, Messi and his wife and children were photographed vacationing in Saudi Arabia. It seemed family-friendly until it emerged a month later that the trip was part of a Saudi government tourism promotion. Messi had signed a $25 million, three-year deal to serve as a tourism ambassador, with responsibilities including social media posts, family vacations like the May trip (the government even selects the hashtag), and charitable appearances. He earns $2 million annually for at least ten promotional posts. The contract also includes a clause requiring that he not say anything that could “tarnish” the kingdom’s reputation.
Earlier in 2024, Inter Miami played a match in Hong Kong against the Hong Kong XI, but Messi didn’t step on the pitch at all—sparking frustration among fans and local officials alike.
For India, while Messi’s exact fee hasn’t been officially disclosed, meet-and-greet packages are priced at over $12,000 per person. For context, the Argentinian football federation received $15 million for a previously canceled friendly, and the tour itself is projected to rake in $80–100 million.
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