The second leg of Lionel Messi's GOAT Tour will see the footballer visit Mumbai and showcase Project Mahadeva, an effort to promote the sport across the state at the grassroots level. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be at the Wankhede Stadium during the interaction with Messi.
Children under the age of 13 years from across Maharashtra will have a chance to interact with Messi on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium. The students have been selected through a rigorous exercise of district level trials, regional rounds and a final selection camp.
These children will get a five-year scholarship to access professional soccer coaching, nutrition support, academic support, equipment and mental conditioning to prepare future players who can compete at the international level.
To make the programme functional at the grassroots level, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the state School Education Department, Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Maharashtra Institute for Transformation (MITRA), Western India Football Association (WIFA), and Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF).
Messi is taking part in a series of programmes during his short but packed tour across four cities - Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. The main organiser of the tour Satadru Dutta has been arrested and sent to police custody after chaos unfolded at Kolkata's Salt Lake stadium, where angry fans vandalised the venue after they were unable to catch a glimpse of the footballer amid the crowd around him.
Messi arrived in Mumbai on Sunday morning, directly from Hyderabad after a successful event there. In Mumbai, he will take part in a Padel tournament at the iconic Cricket Club of India, where legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is expected to be present.
Messi will also be part of the GOAT Cup Exhibition Match at the Wankhede Stadium at 5 pm. Several celebrities are expected at the kick-off ceremony and are expected to take part in 7v7 match.
Messi will also be present at a charity fashion show, which will feature an auction of Messi's Qatar 2022 memorabilia. Actors Jackie Shroff, John Abraham and Kareena Kapoor Khan are among film personalities who will be present at the event.
