Messi–Shah Rukh historic meeting in Kolkata

Argentina’s World Cup-winning football legend Lionel Messi has arrived in India on a three-day visit. On the first day of the tour, he attended several programmes in Kolkata and spent time at events organised at the Salt Lake Stadium.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan flew to Kolkata on a private jet to meet Messi, accompanied by his younger son Abram. Photos from the meeting, which also show Luis Suárez, have gone viral on social media, sparking widespread excitement among fans. Many described the moment as a meeting of the “king of cinema” and the “greatest footballer of all time”. A video shared from a Twitter account named Team Shah Rukh Khan called the moment “historic”.

Messi arrived in Kolkata at around 2:30 am local time on Friday. When he exited the airport gate at 3:22 am, an unprecedented crowd had gathered, prompting strict security measures. As he appeared, fans erupted into chants, waving Indian and Argentine flags. Notably, Messi had previously visited Kolkata on September 2, 2011, when Argentina played a friendly match against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium.

After the Salt Lake programme, Messi departed for the airport. He is scheduled to fly to Hyderabad at 2:00 pm, where he will attend an exhibition match at Uppal Stadium at 7:00 pm. A cultural programme is also planned with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

On December 14, Messi is scheduled to be in Mumbai for a celebrity football match, an event at Wankhede Stadium and a charity fashion show. On December 15, he is expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, although the meeting has not yet been finalised. Messi’s India tour is expected to conclude with an event at Arun Jaitley Stadium and a reception for players of the Minerva Academy.