Football buffs in Calcutta have every reason to feel even more excited when Lionel Messi arrives in the city on December 13 as part of his three-day India tour.
Though an official announcement on the matter is still awaited, it has been learnt that Messi’s current Inter Miami and former Barcelona teammate, Luis Suarez, is all set to accompany the Argentina captain during his second India trip and feature alongside him in the programmes lined up at the Salt Lake Stadium, followed by those at the Wankhede in Mumbai and Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on December 14 and 15, respectively.
Along with Suarez, central midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who’s another Inter Miami player and an Argentina teammate of Messi, is also set to be present on the three-day tour. The organisers have been trying to get Neymar as well for Messi’s tour, but the Brazilian star’s availability is still being discussed.
“Suarez’s presence is confirmed. So is that of De Paul,” a source privy to the development told The Telegraph on Saturday.
“Both of them will be coming in a private jet with Messi. They will come via Dubai to Calcutta from Miami. They will be there with Messi for the entire tour.”
The source added: “The discussions on Neymar’s availability are still underway. It may take a bit of time.”
The organisers had said the other day that they plan to “surprise” Messi by getting both Neymar and Suarez at least for the Calcutta leg of the tour, and give the fans a feel of the once-famed ‘MSN’ (Messi, Suarez and Neymar) trio of Barcelona.
Even if Neymar’s presence on the Messi tour doesn’t materialise, watching the 2022 Fifa World Cup winner and Suarez on the same stage from a distance is certainly a dream-come-true moment for those who will be witnessing the occasion from the Salt Lake Stadium stands on December 13. Not to forget the kids set to participate in the motivational session with Messi, where the maestro will be teaching them a few skills.
The tickets for Messi’s events at Salt Lake are selling quite fast. Those priced at ₹3,850 are no longer available, while those at ₹4,366 and ₹4,720 are available in limited numbers.
