Lionel Messi to arrive in India on Saturday; Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul to feature in Mumbai fashion show

NEW DELHI: Argentine football legend Lionel Messi will arrive in India on Saturday. Messi, who will arrive in Kolkata at 1.30 am on Saturday, will be staying at an opulent hotel on the EM Bypass. Since police permission was not obtained, Messi will virtually unveil his 70-foot-tall statue in Kolkata from the hotel. After the event at the Salt Lake Stadium, he will leave for Hyderabad in the afternoon. Messi and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will participate in the Hyderabad Goat Cup to be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal at 7 pm.

The fashion show in Mumbai is on Sunday night. Messi will be joined by Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul. Only special invitees, including Bollywood stars, Bollywood actors, industry leaders, and prominent models, will be allowed in. Messi will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday. A nine-member celebrity match will also be held in Delhi.

Organisers said Messi was officially requested to bring some items related to his 2022 World Cup achievements for the auction. Organisers also said that an Argentine-Indian fusion food festival has been prepared for Messi, who is arriving in Kolkata, including Argentine herbal tea infused with Assam tea blends, Bengali fish dishes and iconic Bengali local sweets.