Video: ANI
It was a mega fan frenzy in Kolkata as thousands turned up to catch a glimpse of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who arrived in the city in the early hours on Saturday.
IMAGE: Fans in the stands ahead of the arrival of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi at Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata, on Saturday. Photograph: Sahiba Chawdhary/Reuters
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's arrival sent the city into a frenzy. Gate 4 at the international arrivals terminal turned into a roaring sea of chants, flags and flashing phones, with fans sprinting between gates for even a fleeting glimpse of their favourite star.
Messi arrived alongside long-time strike partner Luis Suarez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul. Over the next 72 hours, he will zip across
Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, meeting chief ministers, corporate leaders, Bollywood celebrities and eventually Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
A newly-married couple, among the many fans gathered outside the Salt Lake Stadium, revealed that they cancelled their honeymoon to catch a glimpse of Messi in Kolkata.
"We recently got married, but on Messi's visit, we cancelled our honeymoon plan because first we wanted to see Messi... We are very excited to see him, and we have been following him for 10-12 years," Karan, a Messi fan, told ANI.
His wife echoed the sentiment, saying, "Last Friday we got married, and we cancelled our honeymoon plan because Messi is coming as this is important. We have been following him since 2010."
Aayush, a fan from Nepal, said he is thrilled to see Messi, calling it a childhood dream and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that brought him to Kolkata.
"I can't express my feelings in words. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which is why I have come to Kolkata from Nepal," Aayush told ANI.
Messi had previously visited India in 2011 when he played a friendly match at Salt Lake Stadium, captaining Argentina to a 1-0 victory against Venezuela 1-0.