A meet and greet with fans, an exhibition match with the chief minister and training children – that’s what football star Lionel Messi is scheduled to do in Hyderabad, where he lands Saturday.
At 4.30 pm Saturday, Messi will touch down at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
From then on till he leaves the city, football fans will be able to meet and greet the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner, watch him work his magic on the pitch, see him coach underprivileged children in the game, take a penalty shootout, and also greet them as he sprints around the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal.
On the city for the three-day GOAT tour, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is set to travel to four cities — Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Messi is travelling to India for a three-day extravaganza called the GOAT Tour.
On the city for the three-day GOAT tour, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is set to travel to four cities — Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. (Source: Express photo)
Hyderabad is the second leg of the tour. The Argentinian star will glide through the city via routes manned by CRPF personnel and the Hyderabad Police to reach Falaknuma Palace, where he will meet his fans for greetings and photoshoots. The star will then travel to Uppal Stadium, where his team of 11 will face off with a team of 11 led by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
“Messi will play the last five minutes of the 15-minute game. In these five minutes he will face off with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy who is a football player himself,” an organiser of his Greatest of All Times (GOAT) tour told The Indian Express. Reddy has been training for 45 minutes each day ever since the GOAT tour was confirmed by Messi’s team, the CM’s confidants told The Indian Express.
The Argentinian star will glide through the city via routes manned by CRPF personnel and the Hyderabad Police to reach Falaknuma Palace, where he will meet his fans for greetings and photoshoots. (Source: Express Photo)
“This is an exhibition match,” the organisers confirmed.
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Messi will then, for five minutes, train four teams of underprivileged children. He will later take a penalty shootout of five balls.
At 4.30 pm Saturday, Messi will touch down at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. (Source: Express Photo)
“The CM’s team will also take the penalty shootout,” said an organiser. Revanth Reddy will play donning jersey number RR-9, while Messi will play in his usual No. 10 position. “Messi will sprint around the Uppal stadium to greet the fans,” the organisers said. Messi’s tour to Hyderabad was organised at the last moment, with his tour to Kerala falling through.
Argentina fans are, meanwhile, gearing up to greet the captain of the blue and white team who won them the country’s third World Cup in 2022. (Source: Express Photo)
Hyderabad city’s FC Barcelona fans and Argentina fans are, meanwhile, gearing up to greet him at the stadium.
“We will turn up in thousands,” a poster issued by the FCB said. Messi used to play for Barcelona for the most part of his league football career, till he moved on to French club PSG and now the US club Inter Miami.
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Argentina fans are, meanwhile, gearing up to greet the captain of the blue and white team who won them the country’s third World Cup in 2022.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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