After a fourteen-year absence, Lionel Messi is set to return to India in December 2025 for the highly anticipated GOAT Tour, a four-city celebration culminating in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The Argentine superstar has already sent Modi a signed World Cup jersey to mark the prime minister’s 75th birthday, calling India “a very special country” with passionate fans.
On the surface, it looks like a football spectacle for die-hard fans. But in reality, this tour is far more than that; it is diplomacy in motion, where soft power, trade, and global politics converge on the football field.
Messi’s schedule includes a match at Kolkata’s iconic Salt Lake Stadium, a padel exhibition in Mumbai with Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar, a visit to Ahmedabad, and the final stop in New Delhi. Behind the glamour lies a calculated effort to strengthen India-Argentina relations.
With both countries seeking a bigger voice in the Global South, Messi’s visit blends sport, culture, and statecraft in ways that go beyond jerseys and autographs.
Reigniting South American Ties Through Football
India and Argentina have maintained diplomatic ties since 1948, united by their identity as “middle powers” of the Global South — countries that are neither rich Western powers nor developing underdogs, but emerging voices in world politics.
Argentinian ambassador Mariano Caucino has often said that football and polo are the two sports that best express Argentina’s culture and serve as powerful diplomatic tools. When Indians in Kerala celebrated Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win by dancing in Messi masks, it showed that this connection runs deep even without historical links.
Messi’s upcoming meeting with Modi is symbolic. It will be the first time an Argentine cultural icon of his stature meets an Indian head of government. This encounter signals mutual respect and shared values of passion, resilience, and global ambition.
As the two countries build closer political and trade relations, the Messi-Modi meeting becomes a cultural handshake representing both nations’ aspirations.
A Game Of Strategy
Messi’s visit comes amid India’s rising engagement with Latin America. A Diplomat magazine report noted that Modi’s 2025 visit to Buenos Aires, the first by an Indian prime minister in nearly six decades, focused on lithium, defence, and fintech partnerships.
Lithium, the metal used in electric-vehicle batteries, is abundant in Argentina, making it a vital partner for India’s green energy goals. By welcoming Messi soon after that visit, New Delhi keeps the momentum alive in public memory.
India has also been pushing reforms within BRICS, a group of emerging economies, to promote trade in local currencies and reduce dependence on the US dollar. Hosting Messi helps humanise this geopolitical narrative.
The world may not remember trade statistics, but it remembers images that capture friendship between the Global South’s rising stars.
Trade, Resources, And Technology
The India-Argentina economic story has quietly expanded. According to Diplomat Today, the two countries have signed 41 agreements since 1968, across defence, energy, agriculture, and even sports. Bilateral trade more than doubled between 2019 and 2022, from around US$3 billion to US$6.4 billion.
India exports petroleum oils, textiles, and chemicals, while it imports Argentine vegetable oils, leather, and pulses. Indian tech firms like TCS and Mphasis have invested about US$1.2 billion in Argentina, while Argentine companies have invested roughly US$120 million in India.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy recently called Argentina the world’s third-largest producer of lithium and highlighted Indian oil major ONGC Videsh’s presence in Argentina’s energy-rich provinces.
Strengthening such ties through cultural events like the GOAT Tour can attract investors who might otherwise ignore Latin America. When global headlines link Messi and Modi, they also link Indian business to Argentine opportunity.
The Hong Kong Controversy
Before India, Messi’s image took a hit in Hong Kong.
On 4 February 2024, Inter Miami played a friendly match against a Hong Kong XI, heavily promoted with Messi as the main draw. Tickets cost as much as HK$4,880 (about ₹52,000), but Messi never played, citing a groin injury.
Fans were furious, chanting “Refund, refund!” and booing organisers, especially after seeing him play a few days later in Tokyo.
The organiser, Tatler Asia, eventually offered a 50 per cent refund, costing tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars. The government expressed “strong disappointment” and even considered withdrawing funding.
Analysts said the incident showed how sports and politics are intertwined. Hong Kong was trying to rebrand itself as a global event hub, and Messi’s absence looked like a symbolic snub. Lau Siu-kai, a Beijing-affiliated scholar, warned that the “anger will linger” unless there is transparency.
For Messi, too, the India tour is timely. His no-show in Hong Kong left fans disappointed and raised questions about transparency in global sporting events. Visiting India now allows him to reconnect with Asian audiences and rebuild goodwill in a country where admiration for him has never wavered.
By meeting Modi, engaging openly with fans and honouring his commitments on the field, Messi can turn the narrative around.
Building Bridges Beyond Politics
Sports diplomacy means using sports to promote international goodwill. Professor Daya Thussu, a leading media scholar, notes that nations often use sport to project national identity and create positive images abroad.
In this sense, Messi’s visit works both ways: Argentina showcases its most famous export, and India displays its openness to global cultural icons.
Ambassador Caucino has said that “football and polo blur borders,” and this visit proves his point. When Modi meets Messi, it won’t just be about autographs; it will be about showing the world that two democracies from different continents can connect through culture, not just commerce.
The GOAT Tour becomes a living example of how diplomacy can happen on the field as much as in the conference room.
Also Read: Desis React To Lionel Messi Leaving Barcelona Team After 20 Years
Tourism, Commerce, And Media Buzz
Messi’s market power is enormous. When he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, the club sold over one million shirts in a year and gained 20 million new social-media followers.
His move to Inter Miami in 2023 sent ticket prices soaring by 1,000 per cent and boosted tourism by 10 per cent, an estimated 1.65 million extra visitors, and US$400 million in additional spending.
India’s 2023 Cricket World Cup generated US$1.39 billion in economic impact and 48,000 temporary jobs. While Messi’s tour will be smaller, cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi are expected to see a sharp rise in tourism, hospitality, and merchandising sales.
From jerseys and local food festivals to music and art events, the Messi effect could turn into an economic ripple that touches street vendors and luxury hotels alike.
Inspiring Gen Z And Cross-Cultural Exchange
India’s Gen Z, nearly 30 per cent of the population, worships global icons. Messi’s declaration that he wants to meet a “new generation of Indian fans” speaks directly to them. The tour includes murals, fan events, and even a tea festival blending Argentine mate with Assam flavours, small touches that make the visit feel inclusive and local.
Experts believe this visit could encourage football development in India. Joint academies and exchange programmes with Argentina could raise the standard of play and bring in top-level coaching.
When young fans see Bhaichung Bhutia and Messi share a field, it sparks imagination. It shows them that dreams are not limited by geography, and that football, like diplomacy, is a language everyone understands.
A Meeting That Means Business And Belief
Lionel Messi’s India tour is not a mere celebrity event; it’s a diplomatic performance disguised as sport. It represents how nations can use soft power, or cultural influence, to achieve hard goals like trade, technology, and energy security.
Argentina brings passion and resources; India brings market strength and ambition. Together, they can redefine what Global South cooperation looks like.
For Indian fans, the GOAT Tour is a long-awaited celebration. For policymakers, it is an exercise in cultural confidence, showing that India can host global icons with grace and purpose.
If handled well, the Messi-Modi meeting could become a template for how sports events drive diplomacy, investment, and inspiration. In a world divided by politics, a shared love for the beautiful game might just build the most lasting bridge of all.
Images: Google Images
Sources: Firstpost, The Hindustan Times, The Times of India
Find the blogger: Katyayani Joshi
This post is tagged under: lionel messi in india, messi modi meeting, india argentina relations, sports diplomacy, global south politics, messi hong kong controversy, messi goat tour, india soft power, modi diplomacy, football diplomacy, argentina india trade, messi asia tour, messi fans india, messi india visit 2025, sports and geopolitics, messi legacy, india global image, messi cultural diplomacy, messi redemption, india argentina partnership
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