Countdown to Messi landing in Kolkata: A 70-ft statue rises, fans go wild — WATCH
Kolkata is bracing for a moment it has only dreamed about—Lionel Messi touching down in the City of Joy in the early hours of December 12. However, long before the football icon’s aircraft begins its descent, the city has already erupted into a full-blown cultural celebration, stitching together devotion, nostalgia, and sheer spectacle.
The most striking tribute stands in South Dum Dum, where Sree Bhumi Sporting Club has completed what it claims is the tallest Messi statue in the world—a 70-foot iron structure depicting the Argentine star holding the FIFA World Cup.
Crafted in just 40 days by Monty Paul’s team, the towering installation was scheduled for a public unveiling. But with security protocols tightening around Messi’s visit, the inauguration will now take place virtually from his hotel on December 13.
“This city has hosted Maradona, Martinez, and Ronaldinho. Messi had to have his moment too,” club president and minister Sujit Bose told ANI, adding that the timing feels symbolic with the 2026 World Cup approaching.
Across the city, fan passion is taking an artistic turn. In Salt Lake, the Argentina Football Fan Club Kolkata has recreated Messi’s Miami residence—terracotta roof, terrace figurines, and life-size representations of the player and his family watching over the street.
Inside the Aikatan Club, where the Hola Messi event is set for December 13, an immersive gallery has been assembled to narrate his footballing journey. Replica trophies—from the Champions League to the Copa América and his record Ballon d’Or haul—sit in gleaming rows.
The ceiling is particularly arresting: 896 suspended footballs, each symbolising one of Messi’s career goals. Nearby, a 200-metre LED stretch loops through his finest plays. Entry is priced at ₹10—more a crowd-control mechanism than a ticket, organisers say.
For Kolkata’s Argentina faithful, this moment is the culmination of two decades of devotion. “We have been celebrating football since 2002,” said Uttam Saha, the fan club’s founder secretary. “If Messi sees what his supporters have created here, he will understand our love.”
Messi’s schedule in the city remains tight. After landing at 1.30 am on Saturday, he will head to a hotel on EM Bypass and later meet sponsors over a curated Argentine-Bengali fusion spread—mate infused with Assam flavours, hilsa, and traditional sweets.
Kolkata has welcomed legends before—none bigger than Diego Maradona, whose visits in 2008 and 2017 remain etched in local memory. But this time, the city believes it is witnessing history again.
For many fans, Messi’s arrival is not merely an event—it is the fulfilment of a lifelong wish. Whether he visits the replicas or not, Kolkata is determined to show the world just how deeply it adores its footballing God.