Lionel Messi, along with Argentina football team to visit Kerala for friendly match next year, says minister Abdurahiman

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 20 (ANI): The Argentina national football team along with the talisman player and captain Lionel Messi will be travelling to Kerala for an international football match next year (2025), Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman announced on Wednesday.
Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, last played in India back in 2011 when Argentina locked horns with Venezuela in an international friendly match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata which ended in a goalless draw.
"As part of further encouraging sports, we invited the Argentina national football team to Kerala. Last week, I travelled to Spain and held discussions with the representatives of the Argentina national football team. They have agreed to play a friendly match in India in 2025," V Abdurahiman said while speaking to ANI.
Further, the 62-year-old said that the government has undertaken several initiatives and focused on boosting the sports economy with large-scale campaigns
"To promote football in Kerala, the government has undertaken several initiatives and focused on boosting the sports economy with large-scale campaigns. Six months ago, we successfully organized Kerala's first-ever sports conclave, attracting private investments worth over Rs 5,000 crores. Most of these projects are already underway. As part of further encouraging sports, we invited the Argentina national football team to Kerala. Last week, I travelled to Spain and held discussions with their representatives," the Kerala Sports Minister added.
Abdurahiman added that the official announcement for the visit be made by Argentina. He went on to say that the match will be conducted under government supervision.
"They have agreed to play a friendly match in India in 2025...The match will be conducted entirely under government supervision, with the financial backing of Kerala's trade community. It will be organized in a highly inclusive manner. The world's number-one football team, Argentina, led by players like Lionel Messi, will grace the occasion. The official announcement will be made by Argentina, and a joint declaration will follow during their visit to Kerala in the next one and a half months," the Kerala minister added.
Recently, Argentina's World Cup-winning legend Lionel Messi equalled Portugal icon and contemporary Cristiano Ronaldo's record of most hat-tricks for a national team during his side's FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers match against Bolivia.
In 2023, Messi was crowned with the prestigious Ballon d'Or award for the eighth time in his decorated career on Monday night, an award that serves as a reminder of his brilliance as he reaches the final moments of his career.
With this award, Messi became the first player from Major League Soccer (MLS) to win the prestigious award. He represents the club Inter Miami. He previously won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
The young boy from Santa Fe who made his first appearance in 2004 has enjoyed a career that can be deemed nothing short of a fairytale.
Messi's career which lasted for almost 30 years saw him heartbroken in 2014 after missing out on the World Cup and eight years later channelling the inner Maradona and redeeming himself by bringing the most prized possession - the World Cup trophy back to his homeland, Argentina. (ANI)