Hyderabad: Ahead of football legend Lionel Messi’s visit to Hyderabad, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy held a practice session on Monday, December 1.
The Argentine footballer is set to play a friendly match in Hyderabad on December 13 as part of his “G.O.A T. India Tour’25”. Hence, the CM is diligently preparing for a face off with Messi. The chief minister’s team is named RR9 and Messi’s team is named “LM10”.
The match, set to be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal. According to reports, Reddy will wear the number nine jersey, leading a specially curated side, Team RR9, against a team captained by Messi, who will wear his iconic number 10.
Team RR9 will comprise the chief minister and selected students from government schools who have shown exceptional football talent. The event is designed to be once in a lifetime opportunity for these emerging athletes.
Messi’s visit is more than just a sporting spectacle; it is strategically positioned as a cornerstone event for the state’s ambitious agenda. The exhibition match will serve as the culmination of the Telangana government‘s two-year anniversary celebrations from December 1 – December 13, and specifically, the grand unveiling of the Telangana Rising Vision Document 2047 on December 9.
The state government aims to leverage Messi’s popularity for Telangana’s global image.
Messi’s GOAT India Tour
The GOAT India tour marks Messi’s first visit to India since 2011. Initially, the India tour was set for Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi, but organisers surprised fans by adding Hyderabad as a special stop. Ahmedabad and Kerala were earlier in consideration, but cancellations opened a window and Hyderabad grabbed the opportunity.
