HYDERABAD: Want to meet and greet one Lionel Messi? Well, there is a way. Pay up Rs 10 lakh for a 15-minute meet and greet session with the football legend.
Even if he may not be playing football or dribble past defenders during his trip to India, the name is enough to evoke an unimaginable romance. The craze to get a glimpse of the World Cup-winning captain has touched giddying heights during the GOAT tour.
Take for instance the 38,000 capacity Uppal Stadium. It is sold out. The ticket price ranges from Rs 2250 to Rs 9000 (hospitality included). The session is set to be held at the Faluknama Palace before the bandwagon moves to the Stadium for an evening programme including a 20-minute match between Messi and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Messi’s journey will start in Kolkata on Friday and will have a stop-over in Hyderabad before flying to Mumbai and New Delhi on Dec 15. Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary for Special Projects and Investment Cell, and Special Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Sports, Government of Telangana, outlined the programme in detail.
On the meet-and-greet fee, Jayesh Ranjan framed it as a personal decision. “If someone wants to meet Elon Musk for 15 minutes and is asked to pay Rs 1 crore, and they see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they may be willing to spend that amount.”
The football event at Uppal Stadium is scheduled from 7 pm on Saturday. “There is a 20-minute match between Messi and the Chief Minister. It is a friendly match.”