• Source:JND
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Lionel Messi and Argentina's men's football team are all set to visit India this year as fans wait to see their sporting hero for probably the last time in his playing career.

Kerala’s sports minister V Abdurahiman recently confirmed that the reigning World Cup champions will visit the South Indian state later this year.

At an event in Kozhikode, the Kerala sports minister announced that the 2022 World Cup winners will visit the state from October 25 to November 2. "For seven days from October 25 to November 2, Messi will be in Kerala. Apart from the friendly match, he will be on a public dias for twenty minutes to see you all."

Messi led Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup title in Qatar in 2022. The 37-year-old led from the front and bagged seven goals in eight appearances as well as provided three assists. Argentina defeated France in the final to lift the World Cup title.

Messi has a huge fanbase in India. But as per FIFA’s international window, only two time frames are available for international matches, October 6 to 14 and November 10 to 18.

The Argentina captain currently plays for Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami, having joined the US club from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Messi's long and stellar career at his boyhood club Barcelona came to an end a few years ago after which he joined PSG for two seasons.

Notably, Argentina visited India once back in 2011 when they played a friendly match against Venezuela with Messi also playing at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Nicolas Otamendi scored the winner in that match at the stroke of 70 minutes.

Messi’s current deal with Inter Miami is set to expire in 2025 and the veteran footballer is yet to sign an extension. He has been linked to his former club Barcelona amid other speculations.

Messi's participation in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup remains uncertain. He hasn't confirmed whether he is planning to take part in the upcoming tournament which will be held by Canada, Mexico and USA jointly.