Star footballer Lionel Messi arrived in India on Saturday for a three-day visit. Before the chaos in Kolkata, Messi had a private meeting with RPSG Group's founder and Chairman, Sanjiv Goenka. Messi spent about 15 minutes in conversation with Sanjiv Goenka. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, a close source explained why this encounter was special.
Messi was thrilled to see India's love for football
The source said, 'This was his first meeting in India, which made it special. He was truly happy to see how big football is in this country.' During this conversation, Messi spoke candidly about the passion for football in India, which he felt within just hours of landing.
Messi remarked, 'I'm eager to come back to India. Football is my life. It's wonderful to see people who love this sport.'
Goenka asked him about the emotions during the moment he finally lifted the trophy and also wanted to know who he first called after fulfilling a longtime dream.
Messi revealed, 'Family is a vital part of my life, supporting me in both victory and pressure situations.' Goenka shared a glimpse of this meeting on social media as well.
Messi received a special gift
As a gesture of cultural honor, Goenka presented Messi with a Saregama Carvaan—a music player pre-loaded with 5,000 Indian songs from the past 100 years. The source shared the thought behind this gift, stating, 'Saregama is our 130-year-old company, and this device houses songs from the past century. We wanted to give him a small piece of India’s cultural and musical heritage. He turned it on, listened to a few songs, and loved it.'
Messi will continue his GOAT Tour on Saturday evening in Hyderabad, then move on to Mumbai on Sunday. The much-anticipated tour will conclude on Monday in Delhi, where this Argentine legend is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
