{"id":97685,"date":"2025-12-12T16:37:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour"},"modified":"2025-12-12T17:08:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:08:53","slug":"messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour","title":{"rendered":"Messi Unveils 21-Metre Statue on India GOAT Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>Lionel Messi will unveil a 21-metre statue of himself in India on Saturday as he embarks on a three-day tour of the country that has sparked a fan frenzy.<\/b><\/p>\n

The iron sculpture in Kolkata, which shows Messi holding aloft the World Cup, is part of a so-called GOAT Tour that will take in four Indian cities and a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n

The 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar will unveil the monument virtually rather than in person for security reasons.<\/p>\n

A \u201cHola Messi\u201d fan zone has also been set up in Kolkata where on display is a life-sized replica of Messi sat on a throne.<\/p>\n

The hall also recreates his Miami home, complete with mannequins of his family members.<\/p>\n

Football fan Samir Nandy said it would be \u201ca dream come true\u201d to catch a glimpse of his idol.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegends are not made by success alone. It is his resilience that made me believe in him,\u201d Nandy, 64, said in Kolkata.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe statue is a fitting tribute to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monti Paul, the statue\u2019s main sculptor, told AFP the structure was built inside 40 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a matter of pride to build the sculpture of Messi. It\u2019s the tallest statue I have made,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner will also meet Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly during his whirlwind trip to Kolkata.<\/p>\n

Ahead of his arrival, Messi said it was an honour to visit India and interact with the fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndia is a very special country and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago \u2014 the fans were fantastic,\u201d Messi said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndia is a passionate football nation and I look forward to meeting a new generation of fans while sharing the love I have for this beautiful game.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Kolkata, where Messi will play a short friendly match, he will head to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.<\/p>\n

In Hyderabad he will attend a concert in his honour and play another friendly.<\/p>\n

He is reportedly scheduled to meet Modi in the capital.<\/p>\n

Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award this week after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.<\/p>\n

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker will spearhead Argentina\u2019s defence of the World Cup in June-July in North America.<\/p>\n

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian\u2019s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours \u2013 occasionally with a light, witty touch.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. Lionel Messi will unveil a 21-metre statue of himself in India on Saturday as he embarks on a three-day tour of the country that has sparked a fan frenzy. The iron sculpture in Kolkata, which shows Messi holding aloft the World Cup, is part of a so-called GOAT Tour that will take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":97684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-97685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nMessi Unveils 21-Metre Statue on India GOAT Tour - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lionel Messi will unveil a 21-metre statue of himself in India on Saturday as he embarks on a three-day tour of the c ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Messi Unveils 21-Metre Statue on India GOAT Tour\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lionel Messi will unveil a 21-metre statue of himself in India on Saturday as he embarks on a three-day tour of the c ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-12T16:37:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-12T17:08:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2025\/12\/sm_1765546270.697938.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Messi Unveils 21-Metre Statue on India GOAT Tour\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-12T16:37:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-12T17:08:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour\"},\"wordCount\":458,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2025\/12\/sm_1765546270.697938.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/messi-unveils-21-metre-statue-on-india-goat-tour\",\"name\":\"Messi Unveils 21-Metre Statue on India GOAT Tour - 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