Lionel Messi to play international friendly match in Kerala in 2025

Hyderabad: Argentina football team and world football’s superstar Lionel Messi is expected to play in India after a gap of more than a decade.

Messi, if he is in Argentina’s scheme of things, is expected to play a friendly match in the state of Kerala along with the touring Argentina national football team.

Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, on Wednesday, confirmed that the Argentina football team, including Lionel Messi, will play an international friendly in Kerala in 2025.

Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, the sports minister confirmed that the international friendly match would be conducted under the complete supervision and support of the Kerala state government. “All the financial assistance for organising this high-profile football event will be provided by the merchants of the state,” the sports minister said.

Messi’s last match in India was in 2011 when Argentina played an international friendly match against Venezuela at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata in 2011.

More than 70,000 fans attended the match and Nicolas Otamendi scored the lone goal of the match in the 70th minute. Argentina beat Venezuela 1-0.

Lionel Messi has a huge fan following in India and fans in Kerala are some of Messi’s die-hard fans.

Messi now plays for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS).