There could be some exciting news for the legion of Lionel Messi fans in India this year-end. A section of media reports are agog that the Argentine icon, who now plies his trade with Inter Miami in the US, will be on a whistlestop tour of India in December during which he is scheduled to visit Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi.

 The tentative dates for the visit reported are between 13-15 December, during which he is lined up to attend a number of events celebrating his storied career. This could be his second visit to India after 14 years as back in September, 2011, Messi had captained Argentina for the first time in a friendly against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

The event is a brainchild of Satadru Dutta, an sports event manager, who was instrumental in organising the 2011 extravaganza as well – while he followed up by hosting trips of a series of football celebrities to Kolkata over the years. However, efforts to reach Dutta did not bear fruit till this evening.

While the schedule of his itinerary remains sketchy, Messi is expected to inaugurate a football camp in Kolkata and be part of the children’s football workshop while a seven-a-side tournament, to be named the GOAT Cup in his honour, will be held in his honour at the Eden Gardens. The GOAT is an accepted acronym for greatest of all time in sport these days.

Meanwhile, the Kerala state government has taken a separate initiative to host an international friendly featuring current world champions Argentina with Messi wearing the captain’s armband. Now 37, Messi achieved a long cherished dream when he lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup and there is intense speculation that he could be featuring in the 2026 edition as well.