'Messi has come to Kolkata to inaugurate Shoaib Malik's statue:' Star footballer's arrival in India sparks 'disorder' and criticism on social media

 'Messi https://youtu.be/xBAD5kso59U?si=2MMfSZhJ0AxZRMLN has come to Kolkata to inaugurate Shoaib Malik's statue:' Star footballer's arrival in India sparks 'disorder' and criticism on social media

‘Only political leaders and actors are around Messi. Then why did they invite us? We bought a ticket for 12 thousand but we could not even see Messi’s face.’

This was the statement of a Messi fan who came to the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday, who could not see Messi due to the disorder and chaos at the event, for which he had come here.

Argentine star footballer Lionel Messi is on a tour of various cities in India under the ‘GOAT (Greatest of All Time) India Tour 2025’ and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was also with Messi at the event in Kolkata on Saturday.

But the excitement of the fans turned to anger when Messi, along with politicians, actors and other important personalities, left without meeting the fans as scheduled.

   Why is Messi visiting India?

Messi will also visit four major cities of the country, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad, during his visit to India.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has come to India after almost 16 years, having previously visited Kolkata for a friendly match in 2009.

But the special thing about this visit is that it also provided fans with the opportunity to take pictures with Messi. The promotional campaign in this regard continued for several days, in which fans were also given the opportunity to take pictures with Messi under the ‘Messi Tour Meet and Greet’ but a package of Rs 1 million was kept for this.

This package included the opportunity to meet and shake hands with Messi, a professional group photo with Messi, a buffet, and a ticket to the guest gallery at a football match during Messi’s visit.

Some users are also comparing the recent incident to the chaos that took place in the 1996 World Cup semi-final played in Kolkata.

In the semi-final played at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata, India had fallen to 120 for eight in pursuit of 252 runs by Sri Lanka. During this, angry fans first threw water bottles at the Sri Lankan players on the ground and then set fire to a part of the stadium.

After this, the match referee and umpires declared the match as the winners, ending the match. 

 

Messi's 70-foot-tall statue and 'resemblance' to Shoaib Malik

The statue of Messi that was unveiled in Kolkata was made by a team of 45 people in 27 days and is about 70 feet high.

In this statue, Messi is holding the World Cup trophy.

But some users on social media are describing the statue as resembling Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.

A user named Fourth Umpire shared a picture of the statue on X and wrote, "Can anyone tell me if this is Shoaib Malik or Messi? I am confused."

Urooj Javed wrote that the statue of Messi installed in Kolkata resembles Shoaib Malik.

A user named Muzammil sarcastically wrote, "Messi and Shah Rukh Khan inaugurated the statue of Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Malik you are a legend."

Ayush https://youtu.be/watzuhs27Ag?si=H7RBbbDri1gl6VdG writes, "No, this cannot be." Messi is in India to unveil Shoaib Malik's statue.